The Locked Box
by hmbird11
Summary: Kowalski has been living the life of a robot. Ever since his encounter with Doris he has locked away his feelings, and he refuses to let them come out. After a few unexpected events and a certain tragedy, these feelings may be freed. But, is this for the best? PLEASE READ AUTHORS NOTE AT THE BEGINNING OF CHAPTER ONE! VERY IMPORTANT.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 Remake **

**I know what you're thinking. "Why is she redoing this story, it was fantastic?" Well, the truth is, I just want to improve it. If you already read it, you don't have to read it again. (But if you want to read it again, please do! I changed a lot! And at the end tell me what you thought of the changes.) if this is your first time reading the story, then you are in for a real treat. All the chapters have already been updated, so you don't have to worry about waiting for an update! Just read to your hearts content. :) **

**The first several chapters with be basically the same, but then it will begin to change later on. So, without further ado, here is**

Chapter 1.

Enjoy!

It was a sunny day, and little Jason Bills was thoroughly enjoying his field trip. Mrs. McGillicuddy had been teaching his class about different animals for weeks now, and he was excited to finally see some in person, here at the Central Park Zoo. He really liked the monkeys, because they made him laugh. "_No_," he thought, "_they don't have tails, they must be chimps_" So, he laughed at the chimps, especially when they flung poo at the class bully, mean old Mason Tornes.

He also enjoyed watching the baboons dance, and the sleeping koala looked so cute. He listened to the zookeeper's monotonous speech about the elephant and the rhino, and he clapped for the otter when it slid down its slide on its belly and flipped into the air. After the teacher and zookeeper looked away, he secretly gave it some of his popcorn.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, loud music started playing, and Jason joined the quickly growing crowd around the lemur habitat. He squeezed his way to the front and stared, amazed, as the ring-tailed lemur jumped around and danced. He was a much better dancer than those old baboons. Caught up in the excitement, Jason almost didn't notice when his class left to visit the last habitat. When he realized that he was alone he quickly looked around and ran to catch up with his classmates.

Once he arrived at the habitat, he eagerly looked inside, searching for something else exciting. He was immediately disappointed when he saw the four small penguins. They were smiling and waving, waving and smiling, but it wasn't enough to impress anyone. The other children began to grow restless, and Jason disappointedly stared down at the blue water. Just as they were about to give up, the penguins burst into action. They summersaulted, flipped, jumped, swam... They were overwhelmingly adorable. Then, as if it were a coordinated finale, they all hopped up on their concrete ice floe and proceeded to waggle their tails at the students. With this, the entire class burst into applause, and the zookeeper gave them some fish to throw into the habitat as reward. After the penguins had eaten the fish, Jason and the rest of his class returned to their bus to go back to school. As he walked out the zoo gates, Jason turned around to get one last look at the penguins, but they were gone.

As the school group walked away, the four penguins immediately cut their cute and cuddly act. The short, flat headed penguin said to his comrades, "Last group of the day, men. Let's get some training in before some emergency comes up."

"Aye Skipper" said the tallest penguin, addressing his leader. "But surely you aren't still talking about my Monitoratron 8000. We had this discussion yesterday, it's not going to blow up, and it's not going to backfire. I've done some work with Barium hydroxide to avert the kinetic energy..."

Skipper interrupted him, saying, "Awe, save it Kowalski! I'll never trust any of your machines. Surely you haven't forgotten what happened to Manfredy and Johnson?"

"Aren't you being a bit paranoid, Skippah?" Said the shortest, and roundest penguin. "Aftah all, we're still alive, even aftah all of Kowalski's othah failed experiments." This comment earned him an annoyed glare from Kowalski.

"Private, your ignorance has no boundaries. But, I'm looking forward to a huge I Told You So after this is all said and done, so we may as well go ahead and test this invention. There's nothing happening out here anyway."

The penguins waddled across the concrete ice flow, over to their bowl. Skipper lifted it up to reveal the entrance to their home. Skipper, Kowalski, and Private all jumped inside. The forth penguin had not yet said a word. They called him Rico, a name that he had always been happy with. Not his real name, of course. He couldn't pronounce his real name. Then again, there wasn't much that he Could pronounce, but he had never been much of a talker anyway, so it wasn't a problem. He was thinking of this as he followed the others inside, probably just to make the narrators job easier.

Once he got inside, Rico noticed that Kowalski and Private were in the middle of a heated argument. "How strange." He thought. "Private is normally so calm..." Moments later the cause of their argument was revealed. Once he heard the word Doris, Rico stopped listening, returning to his thoughts of fish, explosives, and wild car chases. Although he had his moments of sanity, Rico spent most of his time in a state somewhere between "insane" and "should be institutionalized"

Meanwhile, Skipper was also ignoring the argument. "_Kowalski's love life is pathetic, why argue?_" He thought. Skipper loved violence and confrontation, but the excess noise was giving him a headache. As the leader of the group, he could have shut them up, but he wasn't exactly eager to test this invention, so he let it go. Instead, he discretely waddled away, heading for the coffee maker. "_Everything is more bearable with coffee_" he thought.

As Skipper poured his coffee, the argument suddenly ended, and the sudden silence was shocking. So shocking that Skipper spilled coffee all over the table. He growled in frustration, and called on Private to clean the mess.

Private eagerly took up the job. He was always assigned to the chores, and he never complained. He just listened to the words of Princess Self-Respectra, and did every task with joy in his heart and a smile on his face. The other penguins were a little suspicious of his constant good attitude, but this never phased him. Maybe he was more resilient (which is highly unlikely, Private had always been the most sensitive of the group) or maybe he was just too naive, but no matter what it was, his positive attitude was never diminished.

As Private cleaned the spilled coffee, Skipper waddled over to Kowalski. He had won his argument, but he was still upset. Of course, it hadn't been much of an argument. Private had merely repeated some of the Lunacorns policies on love and honesty. But all the same, he had mentioned Doris. And this was enough to upset Kowalski.

While he waited to test his invention, Kowalski's brain filled with remembrances of Doris. The brief time they spent together... The sudden departure... It all happened so fast. Over the years, Kowalski had seen Doris many times, and every time had been the same. He would finally be over her, but then she would come back, and he would be head over heels once again. Ever since their last meeting, however, when they had finally kissed, Kowalski's feelings for her had diminished, and he knew that he was finally over her. But still, hearing her name upset him. It reminded him of how he had fallen for a women so helplessly. It was pathetic and unprofessional. His line of work as the options guy didn't require emotion, so he had locked up his feelings a long time ago. The key was hidden somewhere at the bottom of Rico's stomach.

"Ahem! Kowalski, we're waiting. You know lolly gagging around is not on the schedule." Said Skipper. Kowalski quickly jumped up and waddled over to his invention, mentally preparing his speech. This invention looked like a large black box. The front was lined with screens, along with a few keyboards.

"Penguins and Rico, I would like to present... The Monitoratron 8000!" With a flourish, he flipped the switch, and waited of the amazement of his peers. When he heard nothing but silence, he turned around and realized that he had not plugged it into the electric outlet. Embarrassed, he hurried to plug it in. After he had done so, the machine whirred to life, and several screens on the front lit up. After a moment or two of black static, they began to show images of various places throughout the zoo.

"I have installed cameras in every habitat, as well as in Alice's office. We should be able to monitor all the happenings in the zoo from here." After observing the blank looks the others were giving him, he added, "Like a security system."

"Or a spying machine!" Interjected Private. "We can't spy on our friends and neighbahs!"

"Wrong! We can and we will!" Said Skipper. "I think I'm going to like this invention... But what's the downside? When does it blow up?"

"Like I said before, it won't blow up. I'm 97.6% positive." Answered Kowalski.

"Well... If you're sure..." Skipper was only procrastinating, this invention seemed too good to be true. He thought for a moment, and made his decision. "Alright boys, I give this invention the all-clear. Rico, a chair." Rico quickly hacked up a chair, and Skipper pointed to it, saying, "I want someone on watch duty 24/7. We'll set up shifts."

Suddenly, a voice from behind them said, "What is that? Are you spies?"

This mere sentence shocked them all to silence; not because of the words said, but because of the voice saying them: they didn't recognize it. The voice of Marlene or Julien (or any other neighbor) would have annoyed them, but the men were used to those interruptions. But this was different. A stranger had entered their lair. Skipper muttered softly, "On my mark." Kowalski and Rico prepared to attack, but Private became lost in thought, wondering if it was a good idea to attack a potential friend. In his distraction, he failed to hear skipper's "Now!" and so he didn't turn to attack with the others.

What finally brought him back to reality was NOT a triumphant shout from skipper, as the men successfully tackled the newcomer. It was NOT a careful interrogation, led by Kowalski, in search of this animals motives and inner secrets. No, what finally brought private back to reality was the dull 'thud' of Rico falling to the ground, utterly paralyzed. Private turned in shock to the others. Skipper was in a similar state, only upright. Kowalski was not paralyzed, but he wore an expression of extreme confusion, not often seen on the face of a genius.

Somehow, Private found the courage to turn and face the newcomer, who had so utterly overcome his companions. And he was shocked at what he saw.

**So, what do you think? I hope you like my story so far, and please read on! If this is your first time with this story, shoot me a review! :) **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Remake

Unlike the others, Private's shock at the newcomer wore off rather quickly. He hastily turned to Skipper and shook him out of his daze, and he in turn slapped Kowalski. They left Rico on the floor. He would only make the situation worse. Then, once they had mentally prepared themselves, they turned as one to face the newcomer.

There, standing right in the middle of the floor was a penguin. (I'm really trying hard to keep away from the cliche here, bear with me.) They were average height, just shorter than Rico, but leaner, like Kowalski. Just an average penguin. Their eyes were a lovely green color, with a ring of brown around the pupil and a ring of blue around the outside of the iris. Hard to describe, but quite nice. Oh, yes, and this penguin was a girl.

It was this last detail that had shocked the penguins so much. They had met many animals in their adventures, yet never female penguins. They didn't know what to make of her. Skipper couldn't decide if he should be hostile or friendly. "_She could be a spy_" said the paranoid side of his brain. "_But then again, she's a lady. They're harmless."_ Said the other side. He wanted to interrogate her, but he felt that he shouldn't. "_Should I be flirting with her?_" This last thought took him by surprise. Of course, he flirted with every female he came across, but this one might be a spy... And so his confusion continued.

Meanwhile, Private also had mixed feelings. The military training was all coming back to him, and he kept telling himself to be suspicious. The only problem was, all he could see through his rose colored glasses was a new friend. Standing there all alone, his heart went out to her.

Kowalski, on the other hand, did not have mixed feelings. He didn't have any feelings at all. He decided the moment he laid eyes on her that she was an enemy. His past with Doris was clouding his judgement, and he knew he would do things differently this time. He would stay professional, even if the others didn't. They didn't understand the dangers of women. He checked the lock he had put on his box of feelings. It held fast. He would be fine.

As the men stood staring at the girl, lost in thought, Rico began to wake up. He saw his comrades behavior, and something that had been buried deep beneath his insanity began to surface. His good manners. He politely walked up to the girl and shook her flipper.

This action made Skipper's decision for him, and before the others could react he was politely introducing the team. "I am Skipper, the tall one is Kowalski, the short one is Private, and this crazy one here is Rico."

Kowalski stared, shocked, at Skipper. What was this inanity? "_He must be under her spell already. Nothing good can come from this..._" He thought.

"And what would your name be, miss?" Continued Skipper. When she didn't answer, his demeanor changed slightly. "I mean it. Your name." Kowalski was relieved to see that Skipper wasn't completely wooed.

"Hazel" she answered. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too! I think we shall be best of friends!" Said Private. Hazel smiled, but didn't say anything else.

Kowalski remained behind the others. "Skipper, may I speak to you for a moment?" He said. Skipper obliged and they moved off to a corner of the room. "I don't trust her at all. She's going to work her magic and before we knew it, she'll break someone's heart. I'm sure of it. Besides, look at her eyes. Penguins have blue eyes. Just ask Dalton. It's a fact of evolution. Unless that's some odds strain of the recessive allele... Or a sort of heterozygote mutation... Anyway. my point is, she has to leave."

"Kowalski, we don't even know why she's here. That's my number one priority. As for your misogynistic paranoia, we'll handle that later." (FYI: Misogyny is the hatred of women by men.) Skipper then walked back to where Hazel was standing, leaving Kowalski to sulk in the corner.

Skipper began his interrogation. "Alright Hazel, we're going to go easy on you, since you're obviously shy. But you'd better tell us what we want to know or Rico will make you sing like a canary." From behind Skipper, Rico gave an evil laugh. "But we won't jump ahead to that. First question. Who are you?"

"I'm Hazel. I'm a penguin. I've lived in various zoos throughout the country. I have one brother and two sisters. I like to spend my free time knitting."

"Okay. Now, is that true, or just a cover story?"

"What? Of course it's true. I'm not a spy." Skipper gave her a hard glare, but she just looked right back at him. "I don't work for anyone, and I don't have any ulterior motives. What you see is what you get."

"We'll just assume that's true... Unless there is ever even a slight hint otherwise. And be warned, we will be watching you. Now, why are you here?"

"I was transferred here after a penguin flu epidemic broke out at my last zoo. Three penguins from my habitat were killed. The rest of my family was transferred to another zoo in western New York. The state, not the city."

"That's dreadful! Hazel, I'm very sorry." Said Private.

"Thank you Private. So am I."

"Anyway, moving on. Private, I must ask you not to interfere with the interrogation. How long will you be here?"

"As long as you will let me stay."

"Oh. Well. I guess we'll just have to see how this goes... I have no more questions. Kowalski, do you have anything to ask?"

"Yes, Skipper. Yes I do." Kowalski's interrogation methods were not as friendly as Skipper's. "Do you know a certain Doris the Dolphin?"

Skipper jumped in, "Awe, Kowalski not this again! Hazel, you're dismissed. Kowalski, consider this to be your warning."

Kowalski walked off, a little angry at Skipper, but a lot angry at Hazel. "_She's just a typical woman, that much I can tell._"

Skipper saw him stalking off and decided to let him cool down for a while. "_Maybe he'll come to his senses soon. We need him to be in his right mind if something important happens." _Then, he turned to Hazel. "I guess the zoo overlords have put me in an awkward position. So, I guess you're welcome here. Rico will prepare you a place down the hall."

Rico went into the hallway (the one that Marlene always uses) and quickly transformed an old supply closet into a proper living space. More specifically, he threw a pillow and blanket onto the floor and moved the various weapons into another room.

When he returned, he found that Hazel and Private were gone (to go meet the neighbors) and Skipper and Kowalski were arguing.

"That's the last straw, Kowalski! Do you think I asked for a new roommate? No. But we have one and we're going to make the best of it!"

"Who are you and what have you done with Skipper? Why aren't you suspicious? Or paranoid? Or anything!? You've just welcomed her with open arms. I know what's really going on. You're all falling in love with her! It's so unprofessional!"

"No we're not, Kowalski. We're being nice to the newest resident of this zoo. There's nothing wrong with that. Your childish behavior is what's unprofessional. You don't have to befriend her, but you need to be polite."

Kowalski looked down at his feet, a little ashamed. Deep inside, his box of feelings jumped a little, like it was saying "I told you so." but he ignored it. He'd be polite. Fine. But nothing more. She was going to ruin them all. He could tell.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Remake

Private and Hazel were taking a tour of the zoo. They visited the habitats of most of the animals, and Hazel was introduced to everyone. Except, of course, Joey. No one can be introduced to Joey. And, she had not yet visited the lemurs or Marlene.

When they visited Julian, Hazel was a little shocked when he screamed and ran away, but she didn't show it. She turned to Maurice, and he explained the kings unexpected behavior. "That was King Julien. He thought you were one of the other penguins. When they show up, bad things normally happen. So, that's probably why he ran away."

"Oh, I see... I guess that makes sense. Well, nice meeting you..."

"Maurice. And this is Mort." Finished Maurice.

"Hiiiiiiiiii! I like mangos!"

Hazel smiled at the little lemur, before politely saying "Well, I guess I'll see you both around."

She turned and left the habitat, and Maurice softly said to Private, "Is there something weird about her? She seems a little... Off."

"I thought so too. At first. But then, as we were walking around she started talking to me. Like she was opening up to me, or something. And she was so friendly. I don't think she's off. Just shy." And with that, he said goodbye and left the habitat. He fetched Hazel and they made their way to the otter habitat. Maurice didn't believe what Private had said, even though it was true. Extroverts don't always understand the shy and awkward.

Marlene was sitting in her habitat, brushing her fur, when someone knocked on her door. (Yes, she doesn't have a door. Someone knocked on the entrance to her cave.) she was a little startled, and almost scared. "Nobody ever knocks..." She thought. In fact, she had even forgotten what to do when someone knocks. She didn't say anything, she just sat there in silence.

After a minute Private ventured in. "Oh, you are here. When you didn't answer we thought you would be out and about. Hazel, she is here." Hazel walked into the cave. As soon as she saw Marlene, her smile brightened.

"Finally, another girl!" Said Marlene. "Oh, I'm Marlene, by the way. You're Hazel?" Hazel nodded. "Well I'm very excited and glad you're here. I get so bored of hanging out with a bunch of boys all the time. We should totally have sleepovers and parties. Oh, I think we'll be best friends!"

Hazel laughed and said "Ummm, oh-kay... I must warn you though, I don't talk much. But I think you could pick up the slack." They all laughed at that one. Unfortunately, the trio couldn't talk for much longer, because it was getting rather late, and they didn't want Skipper to be any more upset than he already was. So, they said their good nights and went back to the HQ.

When they got back, Skipper told the men to go to bed. He didn't say a word to Hazel. She stood there for a while, feeling rather weird and out of place. Rico and Private had immediately fallen asleep, and Skipper had his back turned, and earmuffs on. He was soon asleep also. Only Kowalski laid awake, worrying about this new girl, and what he presence would mean for the future of the team. He turned over, and noticed her sitting at the table, staring at the wall. She looked tired, and scared. Kowalski checked on his box of feelings, it was shaking and straining on the lock. He added some duct tape and tried to go back to sleep.

Over at the table, Hazel was feeling more than just tired and scared. Lets step outside of the story for a moment. Those outgoing people among you may not understand this as much as the super shy people. So, imagine being taken away from your family and put in some random household. You don't know these people, and you're too shy to ask for anything, and all you can think of is home. Then when it's time to go to bed, they all go ahead and go to sleep and leave you sitting at their kitchen table. You don't know what to do, or where to sleep, or what's going on. There isn't a couch, or a blanket. That's how Hazel felt. She was so scared and alone that she was about to cry. Just as a few tears silently slipped down her beak, she heard the padding of feet behind her. She quickly wiped her tears away, and she tried to regain her composure.

"Why are you still up?" Said Kowalski roughly. "Lights out was 30 minutes ago."

"I... I.. I don't know where to go. Or what to do... Or anything." At this point, her emotions got the best of her. She began to sob uncontrollably. Her embarrassment at crying like this only made it worse.

In an unexpected act of kindness, Kowalski stood her up, and led her, still sobbing, into the supply room that had been designated for her. He showed her the blanket, and she wrapped herself up in it, and curled up on the floor. Kowalski could no longer hear her sobs, so he assumed she had stopped crying. He turned to leave the room, but when he got to the door, he heard her say a soft "Thank you, Kowalski." He turned around to see her tears still silently streaming down her face. Seeing that, he couldn't bring himself to leave her there. He turned around and grudgingly say down next to her. She may or may not have noticed him. But he thought she did, because she quickly became calmer, and she was soon asleep. Kowalski then went back to bed.

The next day, the four commandos went outside for their daily training. A few minutes later, Hazel joined them, but she didn't participate in their training. She simply watched them, and waited for the zoo to open. When the bell finally rung, and the gates were open, she joined the others with their smile and wave routine.

Alice walked by with another school group. After a moment, the penguin commandos burst into their cute-and-cuddly routine. Hazel simply slid over to the side and watched their performance. One of the children asked Alice, "What's wrong with that one penguin? It's just standing there."

Another student answered, "Don't be mean, Stewy. It's just shy."

Alice glared at the child and said, "Did he ask you, missy? No? So shut up!" She then turned to the first child, the one called Stewy, and answered in a monotonous tone, "That is our new penguin. She just got here yesterday. Any more questions?" Three more students raised their hands. "Too bad. Moving on." She then stomped away, and the children reluctantly followed.

Once they were gone, the penguins sat down in the middle of their habitat. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Private decided to try to make conversation. "So, Hazel... How did you sleep last night?"

"Oh, well, you know, fine."

"Oh. Good." The awkward silence persisted. "So, do you miss home much?"

"Yeah."

"Well, then... Um... Okay, guys, can I have some help? We can't live our lives in silence from here on out."

"The silence doesn't bother me, Private." Answered Skipper.

"You guys don't have to talk to me." Said Hazel.

"Oh, but we want to!" Replied Private.

"Speak for yourself."

"Kowalski!"

"What?" He looked at Hazel. Her face was expressionless, she didn't show that she had been insulted. She was pretending that she hadn't even heard him. Kowalski recognized this technique. After all, he was an expert at hiding his emotions. He felt his box of feelings begin to move around again. "_What? I insulted her and she's upset. Who cares?_" He told the box. It didn't listen, so he checked the lock. It was holding strong. Just to be sure, he added some more duct tape.

Even Skipper couldn't stand the awkward after this comment, so he tried to cover for Kowalski. "Well, you know, I think he just means that we have to watch what we say. We don't want to spill secrets, right?" He said this with a little chuckle, expecting to lighten the mood.

"Actually, maybe it would be best if I just stayed inside. I don't think Alice will notice, and I can tell I'm making things awkward out here. See ya later." She said all this with a smile, and then she made her way to the fishbowl, and jumped inside.

"Look what you did Kowalski. We're trying to make her feel welcome, not depressed. You should apologize." said Private.

Skipper stood up for Kowalski. "Private, this is not the happy-doodle-Lunacorn-land. We don't apologize left and right for anything that offends our friends."

"Friends, Skipper? I appreciate your help, but I'd rather form a fake apology than hear you say that. I'm not interested in hearing any more about any form of friendship with this girl."

Skipper sighed and said, "Kowalski, I want you to know that we are not in love with her. Personally, I think she has potential to be considered a friend, but nothing more, if only we can get her to come out of her shell, and if her background check clears. That said, I don't appreciate all this argument about friendship and feelings. Our unit is above that, and I think it makes us look soft. Furthermore, if she ends up breaking someone's heart, it will make us stronger. We know how to handle it, unlike you, Kowalski. You just turned into a robot after your ordeal with Doris. Now, enough of this. The people are starting to stare."

Later, when it was feeding the penguins time, Kowalski was sent down into the HQ to get Hazel. He found her sitting on one of their cinder block chairs, knitting a green hat. She had a large pile of yarn on her right, and a matching scarf on her left.

"So, this is what you've been doing all day?"

Se jumped, a little startled. "Yeah." She folded up the scarf and placed the now completed hat on top. Then she put this pile of knitted goodies on Private's bunk. "I feel like he's the type who would appreciate a nice handmade gift. I think I'll make something for Marlene tomorrow. Don't tell her. I just like to thank those who are nice to me... Those little things go a long way." She then self-consciously glanced at Kowalski's bunk.

Kowalski looked there too, and saw a neatly folded blue and white blanket. "You knitted me a blanket?" He asked, a little shocked. He was the only one who had been Rude to her, why would she do that?

"Well, it's actually crocheted... But yes. Like I said, the little things go a long way. After all the yelling you've done at the others for being nice to me, I understand that we technically can't be friends. But still... I don't know what I'm trying to say here... I guess thank you."

"Oh, yeah, that. That was nothing."

"To you maybe..."

"Oh... Well, it's about time for our fish, so you should come out soon." As he turned around to leave, and he began to feel a little awkward. Hazel was so nice, yet he was still mean to her... "_Wait, no, my box must be leaking._" Sure enough, a few feelings had leaked out. But the lock held strong, so he just let it go. "_I guess I can handle a little sympathy_." He thought.

Back outside, the others had just finished the routine. Kowalski and Hazel got there just in time, and soon they were all enjoying the catch of the day. A short while later, after the zoo had been closed and Alice had gone home, the penguins all went inside for a game of cards. Private decided to sit out and watch the Lunacorns so Hazel could play.

Skipper began to explain the game as Kowalski dealt the cards. "So, the point of the game is to trump the other players. Jacks are high. Pass or play?"

"Uh, pass...?"

After2 more passes from himself and Rico, Skipper asked, "Okay, Kowalski?"

"I'll pick it up." He picked up the stack of cards at the center of the table, and laid down some others. "Well, diamonds are trump. I'm going to shoot the moon." He laid out his cards. The jack, queen, king, and ace of diamonds, and the jack of hearts.

"Wow Kowalski. If you weren't on my team, I'd call you out for that. Good move. Hazel, your deal."

"Well, okay." She took the cards and looked at them. "Um, so what's going on...?"

"Euchre."

"Oh, well that explains everything. Thanks for the help." She said sarcastically. After a moment of shuffling, she quickly dealt the cards, and tried to play this game they called euchre.

After 6 games, 2 shouting matches, (between Skipper and Rico) 11 bouts of uncontrollable laughter, 3 storytelling breaks, 7 cases of the hiccups, 73 sarcastic comments (64 of those from Hazel) and 5 victory dances, the penguins decided that it was time for bed. Private had turned off the Lunacorns hours ago, and he lay half asleep on his bunk, wrapped up in the homemade scarf.

After they had said their good nights, Kowalski was laying on his bunk, examining the blanket Hazel had made for him. After such a fun evening, he was having a hard time telling himself that she was an enemy. Surely, if she stayed, she wouldn't break any hearts. She was nice, sure, but none of the men would fall in love with someone like her. "_She's not anything special_." He thought. "_Maybe we'll be friends someday._" This was his last thought before he fell asleep, and he dreamt of boxes and broken locks.

If you want to review, please feel free to do so. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 Remake **

**Well, hello again! **

A few weeks passed, and Hazel slowly assimilated herself into the group. She began to open up more, and as the others got to know her better, they realized just how wrong Kowalski had been. Even Kowalski admitted his mistake. But we'll get to that one later on.

Private had accepted Hazel the moment her met her, and he tried hard to get her to come out of her shell. She could tell how much he cared, and he was easy to talk to. It didn't take long for them to become fast friends. There isn't much else to say about those two.

Skipper was a little aggravated that Private spent so much time with Hazel, but he tried not to complain. After all, he was the one who wanted the men to be nice to her in the first place. Skipper himself had given up on being kind and courteous to the newest penguin. Her arrival became old news, and she was soon just another resident of the zoo. Although that may not seem like much, it was all that any animal could ask for from Skipper. He was no longer paranoid about her motives, and he didn't worry about the possibility of her being a spy.

Hazel and Skipper were both perfectly fine with this arrangement. Skipper had never been able to have an honest friendship with women, he was more interested in flirting with them and watching as they chased after him in a love struck trance. He had just enough respect for Hazel that he didn't want to do that to her. And besides, after getting to know her, he felt that she would simply laugh at him, and He would be playing the role of the rejected fool. Not wanting to risk that, he simply kept his distance.

Rico never got to know Hazel like the others. Not that he didn't trust her, or didn't like her. Private theorized that Ms. Perky was jealous, and she forced Rico to stay away. The others' ideas were a little more sensible. They believed that Rico just wasn't interested.

Marlene was Hazel's official best friend. They spent quite a lot of time together, and they got to know each other really well. They talked about everything, and they had quite a few sleepovers and parties. With Private's help, they redecorated Hazel's supply closet, and soon it was actually livable. Even Skipper was impressed by the transformation, although he was a little upset that they had done this without his permission.

Hazel was also able to form a few other friendships throughout those few weeks. Most of the zoo liked her, or at least didn't Dislike her. Leonard and Joey were never very fond of her, and for some reason the chameleons couldn't stand her. But these are the exceptions. Everyone else at least thought she was alright. Oh, wait. There's Kowalski. How could I forget?

As we have already heard, Kowalski had finally given up on the idea that Hazel was not to be trusted. He thought that she was alright, and he hoped to be friends someday. In these few weeks, this hope became something of a reality.

For a while, they didn't talk much at all, and they didn't spend any time together. They dutifully avoided anything resembling friendship, and when anyone asked, they always reported the same thing.

Kowalski always said, "I'm tolerating her. I don't really like her, and we aren't friends." This was a lie, but the others couldn't tell. Word got back to Hazel, but she wasn't fazed.

Hazel's tactics for these questions were a little different. She would always answer, "Well, he's alright, but I don't think I know him well enough to judge him."

Those were the "unfriendly" days of their relationship. But, they were still part of the relationship, because inside their heads, they had already decided to be friends.

Eventually, they gave up with this plan. They were living in the same habitat, and they couldn't exactly get away from one another. Hazel began to be nice to Kowalski. Well, make that overly nice. Others thought she was just used to him, and she was just being friendly. Maybe she had a crush on him? But Kowalski knew the truth. She was doing this to annoy him. Her constant overly cheerful hellos, random waves, and attempted hugs always bugged him, and she found his annoyed reactions to be hilarious.

Of course, it does take two to tango. Kowalski wasn't too nice, either, but he was more blunt with his annoyances. He simply pestered her, insulted her, and outright ridiculed her every chance he got. The others saw this as a continuation of his dislike for Hazel, and perhaps he planned it to look that way. But whether it was intentional or not, he wasn't doing it out of menace, but Hazel was the only one who could tell.

These were the "bothering" days of their relationship. All the pestering and annoying was actually a solid beginning to a lasting friendship. Their teasing was often motivated by simply getting the attention of the other. And though the insulting remained important, they gradually accepted that they did like each other, and soon even the others recognized their friendship. Marlene thought they made an adorable couple, but it wasn't like that.

Almost without realizing it, they became best friends. To anyone who asked, Hazel would dutifully report, "Marlene is my best friend." But that wasn't true. Marlene was a good friend, but the two different friendships were incomparable.

Then, in one fateful day, this shaky friendship was changed forever.

It started out like any other normal day. The zoo opened, they performed the cute and cuddly routine, and then they ate fish. Soon after this, the zoo was closed. The four guys want off somewhere, and Hazel returned to her room. She didn't spend all of her time with the others, that would drive anyone to insanity.

The four commandos were out in the park, fishing. Private had caught a large trout and a few dace, and Skipper had two small flounders and a tuna. On the other side of the pond, Rico had caught 3 mackerels, 4 black bass, 1 catfish, 7 guppies, 2 eels, 5 gar, 7 bluegill, 6 trout, 3 salmon, and 12 unidentified other fish. The point is, he was a good fisher. Kowalski was fishing, too, but he wasn't having any success. He had already missed six fish, and he was going for his seventh.

The other three penguins were used to this kind of distraction. Kowalski almost always had some sort of sciency idea in his head, which heavily impaired his fishing. But this day was different. He wasn't thinking about science. In fact, he hasn't thought about anything sciency in weeks. He had more important things on his mind.

When Kowalski's seventh fish came and went, Skipper became a little exasperated, and he said, "Kowalski, it's obvious that you aren't interested in fishing today. Instead of feeding the fish all our bait, why don't you just go back to the HQ?"

"Well, if you're going to offer, I guess I will." Kowalski reeled in his now-empty hook and put away his fishing rod.

As Kowalski was beginning to walk away, Private asked him, "What is it this time that has you so distracted?"

"Er, you know... the usual. Matter, sympatric speciation, mitochondria..." With that he hastily waddled away, back towards the zoo gates.

Private and Skipper looked at each other for a moment, then shrugged and went back to fishing.

Kowalski was already lost in thought the moment he left the pond. He was thinking about his box of feelings again. It had been giving him a hard time for the past few days, and he was having a lot of difficulty keeping his feelings contained. He knew that if they escaped they would only be hurt. But, they were straining on the lock, and it looked like it wouldn't hold much longer. He piled all his pain and sadness onto the lid, and hoped for the best. "_If that doesn't hold it, nothing else will._" He thought. _"I don't think I can keep them locked up forever. But I have to try._" And with that, he left the box and brought his thoughts back to the real world. He was already at the zoo gates, but he still wasn't sure about why he was going back to his own habitat in the first place.

At the HQ, in her little supply-closet-turned-home, Hazel was knitting and listening to some music. She had her radio on low volume, and she was softly singing along. It was a typical relaxing evening for her, and she was enjoying her solitude. She heard the fishbowl entrance open and close, and she thought, "_Well, they're back. Better go see of they caught anything._" She hastily put her knitting away, turned off her radio, and headed down the hall towards the main room.

After a few steps, she turned the corner and almost ran into Kowalski. She nearly screamed out of shock, and he actually did scream, but only for a moment.

Neither of them were very good conversationalists, so they stood there awkwardly for a moment before Hazel asked, "Soo, did you catch many fish?"

"Er, no, I didn't catch any. I mean, I tried, but, you know, I just couldn't reel them in today."

"Well, surely the others had better luck?"

"Oh, they're still at the pond. Skipper dismissed me early."

Hazel looked confused for a moment, and she decided to go ahead and ask. "Why?"

"I was just, um, too distracted to fish." was his suspicious answer.

Hazel laughed and said, "I thought fishing was supposed to get Rid of all your distractions. What could possibly be that important?"

Kowalski looked at her awkwardly for a moment, trying to think of a believable lie. Unfortunately, he wasn't a good on-the-spot liar, and he couldn't come up with anything. So, he decided to risk it all, and tell the truth. "Umm, I was just thinking about you..." He looked at her, embarrassed, waiting for the insulting yet witty comeback, but it never came.

"So what? I think about you all the time."

"I mean, I just... Never mind." He gave a fake smile and turned to walk away.

"Awe Kowalski." Hazel moved to block his path. "I'm just being annoying. I'm sorry. By the way, I got you a present."

Kowalski was a little disappointed, yet relieved, at the change in the subject. "Oh, why? What did you get me?"

"Just for fun. But I can't tell you what it is. Yet."

Kowalski sighed. "What is is, a spoon? A lightbulb? A brick?"

Hazel cut him off. "Actually, it is a brick." Noting his incredulous look, she continued, "I painted it red, then drew a big heart on it, then wrote to my one true love Kowalski. And then I painted some more pink hearts and added glitter."

They both laughed at the absurd idea, then Kowalski smirked. "I don't believe you."

"That's understandable." She consented.

Kowalski thought for a moment. "But, um, am I really your one true love?" He asked, hesitating.

"I don't know. What do you think?"

"Well, I mean... Because... I hope I am."

Hazel smiled, trying to think of what to say.

As she thought, Kowalski continued. "Well... What I mean is... I... Kinda... Ummm, IthinkIkindalikeyou..." There, he had said it. He could feel his emotions running free inside him, no longer trapped in that small box. It was worrying, but exhilarating at the same time. _"Calm down, you stupid feelings. You're about to be crushed!_" He told them. He hung his head, he knew he had just lost his best friend.

"Kowalski." Hazel began to respond, but she paused for a moment, trying to recover from the shock. She was blushing terribly, and Kowalski realized that he could feel a blush on his own cheeks as well. Then she continued, "I think I kinda like you too."

Fireworks went off in Kowalski's brain, and his heart did a backflip and a few cartwheels. "_This isn't really happening... I'm not supposed to feel this way..." _He thought. His emotions were going haywire, and they soon got the best of him. He was smiling like a goon before he even knew what was going on.

Hazel watched his reaction, smiling and blushing even more because of his excitement. But then she realized what had just happened for him, and said to him, "Welcome to the world of the living. You've spent too much time in Robo-land."

"I know... I just... I'm afraid of being hurt again..." Kowalski felt a little ashamed for saying this, it made him feel so weak.

"Kowalski, pain is just as important in life as joy and happiness. But, I promise, I will never do anything to hurt you."

They shared a moment of silence, and for once, it wasn't awkward. But, after the moment was over, they both felt that they needed to change the subject.

"Well. Good." Said Hazel, "I guess... That's that..."

"Yeah..."

"Um, maybe we should play cards or something?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." They walked back to the main room of the HQ. Just as they walked in the door, Skipper burst through the fishbowl entrance, closely followed by Rico.

"Private's been captured!"

**Yay, a cliffhanger! But the next chapter is already up, so... Not much excitement here. **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Remake

"What do you mean Private's gone missing!" Kowalski shouted. "Lost in the zoo, in the park, in New York City, kidnapped, drowned, vanished, or... Dead? What!? Tell me what happened!"

"That's your job, options guy. He was with us, but then" (here Rico began adding whooshing sound effects) "he was gone. Without a trace."

Kowalski began to regain his composure, reverting back to his scientific state of mind. His emotions were still a little frazzled from his conversation with Hazel, but he pushed them down. "Right. Right..." He whipped out his clipboard and began making calculations. After a quick check with his abacus, he had his decision. "The most realistic theory is that he was kidnapped. We have no evidence as to who the kidnapper could be?"

"No. They were as stealthy as a... Stealthy... Kidnapper."

"Alright." Kowalski then made a few more notes on his clipboard. "No evidence, theories, or ideas on possible motives for such a vile act?"

"Not that I can think of."

"Well, it seems we must go about this the old fashioned way." He then walked over to his Monitoratron 2000 and began scanning the various feedback for the ones monitoring villains. "Blowhole is still blundering around Coney Island... Those lobster minions of his look like they're driving him crazy..." Skipper gave him a glare, and he continued. "Alright, Amarillo Kid is rolling around the desert somewhere, baking his brains out. Or, that is, what is left of his brains... Um, Hans the puffin is... Neutral Neutrons! There's our answer!" He pointed at the screen, which showed a blurry image of Hans, talking to Private, who was locked in a cage.

"To the Hoboken Zoo, boys! Hazel, you stay here." The men were gone three seconds later, off to rescue Private.

Meanwhile, in Hans's secret lair, Private was getting quite an earful. He didn't feel like he was in any immediate danger, and he knew the others would come sooner or later, but he hoped for sooner. Hans had never been a frightening criminal, and he wasn't very imposing either. But this time seemed different. Like he was fed up with being the harmless villain, and he was out for some real vengeance today.

This is just the feeling Private was getting, but nonetheless, it was all true. Hans had become dangerous, and he had turned into a formidable enemy. No one knows what could have caused this change. (Literally. I have no idea.)

Meanwhile, our penguin heroes were racing to The Hoboken Zoo in their little pink coupe. Rico had been flooring it for the entire ride, and Kowalski was getting a bit nauseous. They sped through the Lincoln Tunnel, narrowly avoiding a wreck. Only after they were safely out the other side did the two passengers calm down enough breathe normally.

Kowalski did a few quick calculations and said, "We're about three minutes from the zoo. Are we going to make any plans?"

"Do we ever make any plans, Kowalski?" replied Skipper. After seeing Kowalski shake his head no, he continued, "But, I do like this attitude. A bit of paranoia is always a good call."

They continued speeding towards the zoo, and soon they could see the gates. Just as they were about to drive through them, their world went black.

Apparently, Hans was even cleverer than they had given him credit for. They had driven right into his trap, which had sent them plummeting down into the earth, thus the sudden darkness. After a moment of falling, the car and penguins crashed into Hans's underground lair. They were trapped before you could say "fish fight."

"Well, this is a fine mess." Complained Skipper. "Kowalski, you've got us trapped once again. What do you have to say for yourself."

"If this really a good time for the blame game, Skipper?"

"Well if you were smart enough..."

"What!? Oh no. You did not just go there. Resident genius. That's me."

"I'm just saying, you got outsmarted by a puffin..."

Their argument was suddenly interrupted when Hans shouted, "I have had enough of dis! Stop your bickering!"

Skipper quickly turned around and replied "You know Hans, I've had enough of this trap. You want to man up and fight face to face?"

"Let me think... Nej!... That means no for you lesser birds. If I can even call you birds... You can't fly!"

Kowalski entered the conversation, asking, "Then perhaps could you let us know why we are in these cages?"

"Oh, I suppose... You see, I am tired of you foiling all of my plans, so I am just going to get rid of you. Today."

"Excuse me?" Started Private from his cage on the other side of the room. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

"Yes, Private. It does."

Skipper laughed and said, "You expect us to be scared of you? You're harmless!"

"Now, Skippah... You shouldn't say these things. All my time in Hoboken, and then my exile in Brazil, has given me plenty of time to plot revenge."

Skipper only laughed more at this, but Kowalski looked closely at Hans, and he began to notice a gleam in his eye, and a new look on his face. The look of a madman. "Skipper..." He began, whispering, "maybe we should be worried."

"What madness is this? You think we should be worried about him? He may be a fool, but he's harmless."

"I'm detecting signs if mental instability, and his behavior is a major indication of possible madness... Doesn't he seem a bit different to you?"

Skipper just rolled his eyes, but all the same he began to watch Hans more closely. After a moment he could see that Kowalski was right. "Oh, fine. But we're still trapped. Make yourself useful and think up a plan for escape."

"I've already done that. See the hinges on the door of this cage? They are the points of greatest structural weakness, so that's where we will have to concentrate our strength. I normally don't suggest the use of brute force, but in this case, that will be the easiest and most effective means of escape. Rico, if you please."

Rico obliged and began hacking up a series of violent and destructive weapons. Unfortunately, they were not fast enough, and Hans noticed what they were doing.

"Vat are you doing!" He shouted. "I am not ready for you to escape yet!" The penguins were free before he could finish his sentence.

"Looks like the game is up, Hans! Give us back the Private."

"Nej. The game is only just beginning. You think you can beat me?"

Kowalski answered for the three of them. "Yes. Statistically speaking, it's three to one. Not to mention the upper hand we have because of Rico."

"Fine! You don't believe me? Come and get me."

And so, they did.

**So, that's the end of that chapter... What did you think!? **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Remake

The three penguins flew at Hans as if they had sprouted wings. Flying wings, not flippers. There's a difference. Anyway, they flew at him, and Rico was able to pin him down. They went to tie him up, when all of a sudden he slid out of their flippers and flew into the air.

"You forgot I could do this, didn't you." Shouted Hans from far above their heads.

"Come back down here and fight like a real bird, you big chicken!" Shouted Skipper in return.

"Pah! This is how real birds fight. Did you forget that flying is normal for us avians?" Hans replied, as he continued to circle above their heads.

Skipper chose to ignore that comment. "Well, this is useless. Let's free the Private. Kowalski, options."

Kowalski waddled over to Private's cage, and he began inspecting it, occasionally stopping to take notes on his clipboard. "This cage is more structurally sound than ours. It's going to take more than brute force to get Private out."

Rico and Skipper both seemed disappointed at this. Rico began to re-swallow his various weapons, and Skipper said, "Okay Genius, what do we do?"

"I suggest trying the various buttons on that control pad over there." He waddled over to it, and prepared to press a button.

"That is not going to work, you know." Commented Hans from the ceiling. He had perched on the light fixture, and he was intently watching the scene below him.

"Why are you helping them?" Asked Private from his cage.

"He's not helping us!" Answered Skipper. "He's using reverse phycology! Press the button, Kowalski."

So, Kowalski pressed the button. For a moment nothing happened, but then they began to hear a low rumbling noise. It grew louder and louder, until suddenly thousands of tiny rocks began pouring into the room through various holes in the ceiling. Private was safe because he was in a cage, but the others were all quickly buried, and they all got quite a few bumps and bruises and other pains.

Hans laughed from the ceiling, proud of his own trick. Skipper heard this and signaled for Kowalski. Kowalski climbed through the rocks to reach him, and together they pulled Rico out of the rubble. Then they huddled together and tried for a new plan.

"That appears to be a complex control system for the lair... I would advise avoiding it until we know which button to use. Who knows what other tricks he has up his sleeve?" analysed Kowalski.

"Well, if worst comes to worst, I'll take him on mano y mano for Private's freedom." Decided Skipper.

Hans answered from the ceiling. "Nej, I am not fish fighting today, Skippah. I'm fighting to kill."

"Hans, you've never had the guts to kill." replied Skipper, unfazed.

"No, but I have someone who will."

"Oh, you finally got some minions? What kind of saps would join you?"

"Oh, you'll see."

Skipper began to feel a little worried, but he tried not to show it. "Alright, Kowalski." He whispered. "Get him down here before he calls in his helpers."

"On it, Skipper." Kowalski slid over the rubble to the light switch. Before Hans knew to move, he had pulled out the switch and cut the wire. Seconds later, both the light and Hans went plummeting to the floor.

The penguins quickly surrounded him, and once more tried to tie him up. This time they made sure he couldn't fly away.

They were almost successful, until Hans gave a sudden shout and kicked both Skipper and Rico across the room. He then untied himself and turned to Kowalski. "You want to give in now?"

"Never!"

"Perhaps you could become my sidekick. Or better yet, my mastermind assistant. We would make an excellent team."

From the other side of the room, Skipper shouted, "Don't listen to him, Kowalski! He wants to kill us!"

"Now Skippah. You don't appreciate Kowalski's brain like I do. What do you say, Kowalski?"

"I say Never! I will never join you!"

"Then prepare to die."

"Awe, come on! We share a common ancestor!"

"You know, that isn't going to get you any sympathy from me." With that, he began to close in on Kowalski, who was slowly backing into the corner.

When he hit the wall and realized he had no where else to go, he began to do some fast thinking. "_A plan... I need a plan..."_ He was running out of time, and he could see that he wasn't going to get any help. Skipper was still working his way out from under a pile of rubble, which had fallen on him when he had hit the wall after Hans's kick. Rico wasn't buried, but he looked hurt. He was struggling to get up, but he was unsuccessful. He looked like a beetle which had been flipped onto his back. Kowalski continued thinking, "_Neither of them will be helping me any time soon_."

Kowalski was preparing to fight for his life when suddenly there was a loud crash from above. The single window in the ceiling was shattered, and a blurred black and white shape flew through it and landed on top of one of the large computer monitors.

Both Kowalski and Hans looked towards the noise. When he realized it was Hazel, Kowalski said, "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Hazel is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious Hans."

"Aye me." She said mournfully.

"She speaks! Oh, speak again, bright angel!"

"Kowalski! Stop! This isn't Shakespeare. Now, Hans, what a turn of events for you!" Shouted Skipper. "Do you have any more traps, or have you been outsmarted?"

"Outsmarted? Skippah, this isn't a battle of brains. Now," Hans then turned to Kowalski. "To finish what I started." He then began closing in on him once more.

"Hazel! Help me!" Shouted Kowalski, his voice getting higher with every syllable. He looked towards the computer, but she was no longer there. He searched the room for her, and realized she was standing right behind Hans.

"Don't touch him."

Hans turned away towards Hazel, (who had just spoken) and Kowalski let out a sigh of relief, sinking down the wall. Then he quickly slid across the room to Skipper. After he had been freed they turned together to help Rico, when someone moved to block their path.

They looked up to see it was Hans. Before they could move he threw a net over them, and they were trapped. They tried to wriggle free, but that only caused them to be even more ensnared.

They looked up to yell at Hans, but Hazel was silently approaching him from behind, so they didn't say anything. But when she got up to him, she did nothing. She simply stood there, wiping her flippers, as if preparing to do some dirty deed. "_She's getting up the nerve to grab him. I'll give her a minute._" Thought Kowalski.

"Well, Skippah." Began Hans. "It's just the two of you."

"Lies! There's five of us! You should be surrendering!"

"Five? Am I having trouble counting? Private is completely trapped, and Rico isn't going to be of any help to you." Answered Hans with a smirk.

"Rico? He's fine. He'll be up in a moment. You better watch out."

"Oh really?" Hans then moved to the side, so they could see Rico, who was lying on the ground about 10 feet behind him. He was no longer struggling to get up. In fact, he wasn't doing anything. He seemed to be lifeless, besides the slight rise and fall of his stomach, which told them that he was at least alive. Barely.

Skipper was confused and upset, and he sammered, "Wha... What happened? What did you do?"

Kowalski couldn't even say that, he just stared in shock at the body of his fallen comrade. "_No, he's still alive_." He thought. "_He'll be fine. We'll be fine. He'll be fine. It'll all be okay..."_

Hans began laughing at their shock, his evil cackle filling the lair and echoing from the high ceilings.

Skipper decided he had had enough, and he shouted to Hazel, who was still silently standing behind Hans, "Now!"

She didn't move.

He tried again, "Didn't you hear me!? Get him!"

She only stared at them, with sadness in her eyes. Kowalski turned to look at her as well. "Why... Why aren't you helping us...?" He asked, hurt.

"Can't you see, Kowalski?" She began. Her voice was shaking, giving away her pain. "I'm on Hans's side."

**Wow, plot twist! Don't you live those? **


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Remake

"I'm on Hans's side." Those words resounded in Kowalski's ears. They bounced around his head, muffling all of his thoughts. He couldn't think. He couldn't speak. He couldn't move. But he could feel. And what he did feel was pain, far beyond anything he had ever imagined. Doris was nothing compared to this. His heart was breaking, his hopes were crushed, and his feelings were hurt beyond repair. It was as if he had lost the will to live, all because of one 5 syllable sentence.

But he knew he must solider on, so he brought out something which he had hoped would be gone forever. Up through the pain robots his box. He welcomed it like an old friend. This box was the same as the last one, yet different. This one was battle hardened, and unforgiving. But most importantly, it would make him literally heartless. Instead of just putting a few feelings in, this time he gave up everything. The good and the bad, it was all sacrificed, simply for the sake of escaping this pain. A few memories lingered, just enough to make him bitter, and thirsty for revenge.

Skipper noticed the sudden change in Kowalski, even though he, too, had been completely befuddled by Hazel's last statement. He saw Kowalski's face harden, and his eyes lose all feeling. The tears which had been silently rolling down his face seemed to vaporize instantly. His frown disappeared, and was replaced by a grim scowl.

"Kowalski, analysis." Said Skipper. He was a little worried to even speak to Kowalski when he looked like that, but they needed to do something.

Kowalski pulled his clipboard out of nowhere, and soon had a solution. He pulled a few specific ropes of the net and the entire thing unraveled into a pile of rope at their feet. Then he gave a quick report to Skipper. "Now it's two to two. Hazel shouldn't be a problem, I'll get rid of her first, then I'll help you finish off Hans."

"Finish him off? Kowalski?"

"Just knock him out so we can get out of here. As for Hazel... I'll..." He began to stutter a bit. "I'll just tie her up."

Skipper was glad to see a few of Kowalski's feelings showing through, even if he was only having mercy on her because she was a girl.

"Alright. That'll work. Operation: Last Stand is a go!"

Both Hazel and Hans had been scheming at the same time. "They'll try to take you first." Began Hans. "As long as they don't free the caged kid, they won't run away. We can use that to our advantage."

Hazel just nodded, but then asked, "We're still only killing one, right?"

"Ja, sure. Choose which one, tho."

"Oh, I've already decided." With that, they turned and met the oncoming attack.

All four birds fought like streaks of black and white fury. Skipper and Hans were fairly well matched, but Skipper still felt uncomfortable without Rico to back him up. He had realized that it was Hazel who had knocked out the weapons specialist, and he was a little worried for Kowalski.

This worry was not in vain. Kowalski's lack of feelings had left him a cold and calculating fighter, but he had underestimated Hazel's fighting skills. While Kowalski's brains were working for him, he had never had the skills that the other penguins had. Hazel had a few of those skills, and Kowalski suddenly found that he was losing the fight. Any other penguin would have been able to take her down, but, of course, it was Kowalski who was chosen to fight her.

"_Losing to a girl. A shy, awkward... Loser of a girl..._" Thought Kowalski bitterly. Once again, he tried to formulate a plan.

Skipper was also having trouble with his fight, but he wasn't losing. He was used to being superior to this puffin, but today the Dane was putting up a good fight. I won't describe every detail of all their punches, kicks, hits, and misses. I'm sure that would bore you to tears.

As these two groups fought, Private was watching them from his cage. He had never been the options guy, but he knew if he was ever going to think of a decent plan, this was the time. He carefully observed his surroundings, and studied the various buttons on Hans's control panel. The falling rocks from earlier had provided him with a few decent weapons, but he knew not to just throw them willy-nilly.

After some time of studying, during which the others all continued to fight, Private found a button which was labeled "unlock cage." He aimed carefully and threw his first rock. He had a good arm (or should I say wing?) from his years on the cricket field, but his aim wasn't spectacular. Consequently, he missed his target by a few inches, instead hitting a small, blue, unlabeled button.

"Blast..." He muttered under his breath. He was about to throw another rock when he noticed a large metal object being lowered from the ceiling. _"Of course_." He thought. "_The blue button had to do something. But what Could that be?_"

Just as the finished this thought the suspended metal object began to rotate, slowly at first, but the gradually faster. Soon it was just a gray blur. Small bits of wire and metal flew off of it. Private caught a piece of wire and saved it, for it had potential to be a good lock pick.

By this time the others had all paused in their fighting to stare at the spinning machine. Kowalski, Skipper, and Hazel all looked horrified, but Hans had a look of sadistic glee upon his face.

All of a sudden, the spinning object paused in midair, and time seemed to slow for a moment. Then, all at once, it exploded. Hot metal and sharp wires flew everywhere. This time, even Private wasn't safe. Hans and Hazel had somehow escaped harm, but for the others the results of this explosion were far worse than those from the falling rocks or even the fighting. Small scratches and cuts from the razor sharp bits of wire and burns and bruises from the metal pieces all combined to put the penguins at an extreme disadvantage.

After a moment Skipper managed to get to his feet, and then he waddled over to Kowalski and pulled him up. They were about to go press the correct button on Hans's control panel when they were apprehended and engaged in fighting once more.

Private considered waiting to be freed, after all, they knew the right button to push. But at the same time, he could tell Kowalski was losing his fight, and Skipper wouldn't be breaking free any time soon. If he waited, he might be too late to be of any help to the others. So, he decided to try to throw another rock. He reached down to his pile and realized that most of them were gone, blown away by the latest explosion.

"_And that was all my fault..._" Thought Private. He also found the piece of wire, and he decided to try to pick the lock before he used another rock.

After a moments struggle, he realized it was useless. How Kowalski and Rico ever managed the feat of lock picking, he wasn't sure. Without thumbs, he could barely hold the wire. After muttering a few insults at Darwin and his ancestors, Private turned once again to his rocks.

This time, he spent much more time aiming, and he had a solid throw. But even with everything working for him with this throw, he still missed by a hair. The rock didn't immediately hit any buttons, and this was a relief, but then it bounced and hit an orange square button.

The consequences of this button were much more favorable than those of the last button. It simply turned on many ceiling fans, on high power. If anything, this helped the penguins, because they would have severely hindered Hans's flying.

Relieved at this, Private turned to his last rock. "_We've got to make this count..._" He thought. Since this is a story, we obviously know that he was successful with this final rock (cliche, much?).

But at the time Private had no way of knowing this.

So, once again, he carefully aimed. He thought about gravity, the high powered fans, the strength of his last throw, the angle of depression, everything. He practiced a few times without the rock, and he really worked himself into a fit of nerves. Then he realized that this would never do, so he sat down for a moment to relax and calm down for this last chance throw.

Let's take this chance to check in with the others. Skipper had backed Hans into a corner, but he wasn't able to grab him from there. Hans had the advantage of a wall at his back, which he used as a support. Whenever Skipper's hits or kicks didn't hit their target, which was more often than one might expect, they ended up hitting the wall with a painful thud.

Kowalski was still having trouble, but since he wasn't distracted by feelings he was slowly improving. He was getting a feel for Hazel's fighting style, and he was able to learn from that. Because of this, he was still able to hold his own, even after the explosion.

From the background they heard a loud click, and a thud. They all turned to see Private, free at last. He must not have wanted to wait for us for this final throw. Maybe he's camera shy...

"We're going to have to act fast, Kowalski!" shouted Skipper. They both rushed forward, but they weren't as fast as Hazel. She ran to Private and had him cornered in an instant. Hans stood at her back to fend off Skipper and Kowalski.

Our two valiant penguins heroes tried with all their might to reach Private, but Hans was more determined than ever, and he knew Hazel only needed a little time. "_If she kills him or even just knocks him out..._" Thought Hans, "_it will discourage these other two enough for our purposes. I can hold them off for something as promising as that." _And so, "these other two" were held off.

Hazel stalked up to Private, who was standing defiantly in the corner. From a distance he looked brave, but up close he just looked scared. "Why couldn't you have stayed in the cage Private?" She whispered, with pain in her voice, as she mentally prepared herself for what was to come next. "I didn't want to have to hurt you, too..."

**Well. That was interesting. **


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 Remake

"I didn't want to have to hurt you, too."

"You... You don't have to..." Stammered Private. Hazel smiled in a sad way, and for a moment, Private felt bad for her. But then he remembered what was going on, and his mood immediately changed.

He saw her flipper flash towards his neck, and he just barely dodged it. He could tell she was trying to use Rico's trick, probably because it was the least painful way to knock someone out. He knew she would get him eventually, but he didn't want to give her the satisfaction of doing it painlessly. If he was going to be betrayed in such a way, she would have to suffer a little too.

While Hazel struggled with Private, Hans was also struggling with Skipper and Kowalski. Hazel was taking longer than he had expected, and he knew he couldn't withhold them much longer.

Kowalski looked over to Skipper, to see if he had any ideas. Unfortunately, he didn't, so Kowalski was forced to use his own. It was the most last resort thing he could think of, but he felt it would work. He signaled for Skipper to stay back, and watch for an opening. Then, all at once, he charged.

Hans was prepared, and he easily blocked Kowalski's first blow. It was what happened next that unexpected. Kowalski fell to the floor, and his gathered momentum helped him slide forward, as if he were sliding onto home base in a baseball game. He slid right at Hans's feet, and Hans fell right on top of him.

All the combat up to this point had been strategic and distanced, but this was a different story. Kowalski and Hans were in a full-out scuffle. Since Hans had fallen on top of Kowalski, he had a distinct advantage, and Kowalski's poor fighting skills gave yet another advantage.

This was a self sacrificing plan, and Skipper was shocked that Kowalksi could have come up with such a plan with his feelings all locked away like they were. Even before the tussle had started, Skipper could tell that there wasn't much hope for Kowalski. But, it did the trick. The outbreak of a new kind of fighting distracted Hazel enough that Private was able to escape that corner unharmed.

Skipper was so relieved he almost forgot about their fighting comrade. But once he remembered, he once more jumped into the fighting, this time bringing Private with him. With three penguins working together as one, they were able to get Kowalski out of Hans's grip, and then they pulled away from the fight.

He was bruised, and bleeding from one flipper. But that was nothing compared to what happened next. In their brief moment for recuperating, Hans played a dirty trick.

Hans slowly pulled a remote from behind his back. It was like a mini version of his control panel, covered in buttons. He studied it for a moment until he located the correct button, which he pressed with a flourish. Skipper (always paranoid) had been watching out with half of his brain as they caught their breath, so he almost saw it in time. He shoved Private behind himself, but he couldn't get to Kowalski before it hit them.

"It" was a volley of arrows. Hans had used his greatest attack at the moment of their greatest weakness, for these arrows were quite deadly to normal penguins. Of course, our heroes have been trained for years, and they are stronger and tougher than normal penguins. Unfortunately, no amount of training can make you immune to an arrow. They were able to deflect and avoid most of them, but there were so many, they couldn't be safe from them all.

Private was saved, thanks to Skipper's quick thinking, but Skipper sustained many injures, so he was in more danger than ever. He had a few hits to his wings, an arrow lodged deep in his left shoulder, and one in his leg. Jumping to avoid a final arrow had caused this arrow in his leg to twist in an odd direction, which messed up his landing. Skipper looked at his leg after this volley was over, and he could tell it was broken.

_"I won't be getting up on my own anytime soon._" He thought. His entire leg looked messed up and twisted, and he couldn't even reach to do anything about it because of the other arrows stuck into his body. "_This is a fine mess we're in right now. I hope those others don't go down without a fight."_

Kowalski wasn't planning on doing anything of the sort, but as he looked at himself after this attack he wasn't sure if he would be able to put up any kind of fight at all. He too had had a few arrows hit his wings, and he had one lodged deep in his side, right above his leg. It didn't hurt as much as it should have, so Kowalski knew he was in shock. He didn't know if he could keep his consciousness for much longer, but he tried, for the other's sake.

At this thought, he looked over to see the others. He saw Skipper and his broken leg, and he saw Private huddled beside his leader in a scared little ball. "_Maybe of I'm unconscious when she kills me, it won't hurt._" He thought, as he slowly slipped away into a dreamless sleep.

"Now, before these arrow wounds go too far, didn't you have something you wanted to do?" Asked Hazel, as she spoke to Hans. "I think Kowalski's already passed out."

"Well wake him up." Ordered Hans.

Hazel waddled over to Kowalski and carefully pulled out the arrow. She then made a hasty and sloppy bandage for his side.

"What are you doing?" Inquired the Private.

"We need him alive for another 20 minutes." She said flatly. She then proceeded to dump a bucket of water on Kowalski's head, which successfully woke him up.

When all three penguins were conscious, Hans called for their attention in a loud and slightly insane tone of voice.

"Now it is time for you all to know why you are here."

"Didn't you already tell us?" Asked Skipper, in a bored tone of voice.

"Yeah, you just want revenge on us for foiling your plans. I think you've gotten that point across." Added Kowalski, successfully masking the pain in his voice with his bitterness.

"Oh, quiet down. You think I'm going to let you off easy by just killing you all?"

"Well, that's what I've been assuming..." Started Private, before he was shushed by Skipper.

"Now Private, you shouldn't think such things. I'm going to let Skippah go free, along with one or two of you others. But you see, not all of you others. And this will completely ruin his life, knowing that he wasn't able to save you all. And when his life is ruined, my revenge will be complete! A fate worse than death, that's what I'm sentencing him to. Because, as you know, his behavior in Denmark is what I am really getting revenge for. And this revenge will make him lose one of those closest to him. He will have to live with this. Forevah!"

"I won't let you..." Muttered Skipper from the floor. "You already took Manfredy and Johnson, but this is too far."

"That's the whole point, Skippah." Answered Hans gleefully.

Private was finally understanding what was going on, and he knew that they needed help. He stealthily crawled over to where Rico was lying unconscious on the floor, and proceeded to shake him, quietly whispering "Get up! Wake up, Rico!" as he did so.

After a moment he could see it was no use. Whatever Hazel had done, it was strong and long-lasting. So, he began the slow crawl over arrows, rocks, and still smoldering metal debris back to where Skipper and Kowalski lay. But by the time he got back, it was too late.

Hans stood over Skipper with a smirk on his face and a gun in his hand. The gun was still pointed at Skipper, and there was a tiny wisp of smoke floating away from the tip of the barrel. At first Private thought Skipper was dead, but then he remembered Hans's plan and looked closer.

After a moment of careful observation Private saw a faint rise and fall of his chest, and he noticed a small red tufted dart in his neck. Definitely not lethal, but he would be out for a while.

Hans turned to Private and Kowalski with an evil grin on his face. "Two down, two to go."

**Well, it's looking quite hopeless for these guys. I hope you're enjoying my story. Or maybe morbid curiosity is keeping you interested... **


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Remake

Private hastily scooted backwards, away from Hazel as she slowly made her way towards him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hans approaching Kowalski with an evil sneer on his puffin face. Kowalski was trying to back away from the approaching villain, but after that volley of arrows, he couldn't even move his left foot, let alone actually moving his entire body.

"_I have to help Kowalski.._." Thought Private. In a desperate last attempt, he dashed forward and rolled under Hazel's outstretched wing. He thought he had gotten past her, until he felt something grab his flipper and hold him in place. He turned and saw she had him in her grip. Quick as lighting, she returned him to the ground in front of her with just a flick if her arm.

"Private, just hold still." She said coldly, as she pulled something from behind her back. It looked black and heavy, and after a moment Private recognized it as a gun, similar to the one Hans had used.

"Please Hazel..." Said Private. In his mind he was hastily writing a pleading speech, hoping to save Kowalski's life. "_After all,_" he thought, "_I'm just the Private. He's the lieutenant_." With this thought, he began.

"I thought we were friends. I really did. I see now that that was all a lie to get us roped into this trap. All the same, you were a wonderful friend." He noticed a hint of a sad smile on her beak, so he decide to continue with this thought. "And so I am pleading to this part of you, the part that was my friend. Please, don't kill Kowalski. You spent enough time with the team, you know how important he is. They'll be fine without me, but please, not him. Whether you do this for him, or for me, or for the team, or for yourself, I don't care. But please. Listen to me."

Hazel looked at him for a moment, and at first he thought he had convinced her. But after a few seconds her face returned to the hard, unsympathetic glare which he had been looking at before, and he knew he hadn't.

"Private." She said, in a completely expressionless voice, "I take my orders from Hans. Not you." And with that she raised the loaded gun and shot.

Privates last thoughts as he fell into unconciousness were "_I know you loved her Kowalski, and I am so sorry..."_ But then all was quiet.

Kowalski turned his head from the advancing puffin when he heard the shot, and he saw Private collapse into a heap at Hazel's feet. He searched in a panic to find where Private had been hit. Finally he saw the tiny red puff of a knock-out dart on his neck.

"_Well, they've knocked all the others out. I have one guess as to what is in store for me."_ As he thought this, he began to feel a little relieved. He was almost glad that they had chosen him to kill. Hazel's betrayal had broken his heart beyond repair, and he wasn't interested in going on with life living like a robot. He was, however, hoping to defeat his locked box of feelings before his death.

Hazel sauntered over to where Kowalski lay, joining Hans a few feet away. "So this is the one we kill?" Asked Hans. Hazel only nodded. Hans then asked, "Would you like to do the honors?"

"Why, yes, I believe I would." As Hazel said this she looked pointedly at Kowalski, and he shuddered inwardly. Hans nodded in approval at her cruel behavior.

They both had dart guns in their wings, (or flippers) but they laid these down on a nearby counter. Hans then pulled open a drawer and ceremoniously lifted out a black case, which he set on the counter with a thud. He then opened the box and carefully, almost reverently, pulled out a black gun. This one was sleeker, shinier, and scarier, and it made the dart guns seem like plastic playthings.

Hans then pulled out a large bullet, which he loaded into the gun. As the lever was clicked into place, Kowalski began to shake, and his noble plans vanished.

"Awe, come on..." He complained, as Hans handed Hazel the gun and they turned back toward him. "Hazel, please..." He knew he sounded childish, but he was only trying to stall for time. On the outside, he was only cowering on the ground, but in his mind he was straining and fighting, working against this oppressive barriers of the box, which was restraining all his feelings.

"_What emotion is strong enough to break this?" _He thought. He hastily shuffled through his memories. Happiness, sadness, pain, joy, excitement. He faintly remembered it all, but nothing seemed to work. "_There was something really strong, some feeling which surpassed all the others..._" But try as he might, he couldn't remember what that was. Thoughts of Hazel kept getting in the way, but he pushed past those, searching for something, but still not knowing what.

When it seemed he had turned his brain inside out and then right again, Kowalski gave up and returned his attention to the real world. Hans and Hazel were only a few feet away, and then they stopped walking and looked at him.

Hans had an evil smile on his face, and he looked excited. Hazel looked quite calm, and she was handling the large gun with ease. She turned towards Kowalski, and their eyes met.

When he looked into her eyes that moment, Kowalski's mind flashed back to a memory, one of those about Hazel which he had looked past in his last search. He remembered it distinctly because Hazel had never been one to look you in the eyes directly, which he had assumed was a result of her shyness, and this had been the only time he had ever actually gotten to look at her eyes for more than a moment.

They had been in Kowalski's lab working on a new invention, which he called The Investigationator. He had glanced up for a moment to ask for a pipe wrench, and he noticed she was doodling a picture on his table. He stared at her for a while, fascinated by what she was drawing. She looked up and saw him staring, but he didn't turn away like he usually did. Instead he simply stared at her eyes for a moment, until she laughed and smiled, and then turned back to her drawing.

Later when she had asked him about it, he swore that he had only been fascinated by her eyes. Which was partially true, she did have interesting eyes, with many shades of different colors throughout them. But we all know what happened later, and so we know there was more than that going on.

This memory came to him as he stared into Hazel's face. The face of his killer, and the face of the love of his life. These last few words hit him like a tidal wave, and he realized the barriers had broken. This box had been holding back all his feelings about Hazel, and at this sudden flood of truth he finally realized what was really going on.

In a daze, he looked at Hazel again. Both her and Hans saw a visible change come over him, and he suddenly looked even more defeated than before.

"Why? I thought... Was... Was that all a lie?" He stammered all this out like a broken record. "Hazel...please... I.. I love you..."

She was completely expressionless as she muttered a simple, "Hm." With Hans cackling evilly at her side, she raised the gun, and shot.

Bang!

And everything went red. Blood red.

**:'(**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Remake

Hazel looked down at the lifeless body lying before her. "It had to be done" she kept telling herself, but that didn't make it any easier. She noticed the line of blood flowing from the wound. "_That was me. I just... I just killed him." _

She looked at the gun in her flipper, then dropped it it disgust. She then turned to the bird beside her.

"Don't look so shocked, I made a promise." But he didn't move, he too was staring at the lifeless corpse. "I, uh, I didn't think it would come to this, but you know what I said, a deal's a deal."

Still no response.

Hazel finally gave up. She shuddered, wiped away a few tears, and turned away from the body. "Well, what about the others? They can't just lay here."

This brought him to his senses, and tore his eyes away from the spectacle, replying, "Yeah, I suppose they need to get back to the zoo."

He still seemed to be in a daze, as if what Hazel had done had shocked him speechless. And of course, he had good reason to be speechless. He should have been dead. Yes, that's right. Dead. But there he was, all in one piece and alive. Somehow, when Hazel had fired the gun, the bullet had ended up in Hans's chest! So Kowalski continued staring, still breathing, recovering from the shock.

Although he should've been grateful, Kowalski couldn't get this one thought out of his head. "_Yes, she saved us. From herself..._." Now that his life was no longer in danger, it was easy to ignore the sudden flood of emotion which had overtook him only moments ago. Before you could say, "Let's book 'em!" he had most of his feelings locked away once again. Even though his life had been spared, he knew he would never look at Hazel in the same way again. She was a murderer.

Hazel worked in silence, dragging each of their comrades to the exit, and carefully bandaging their wounds. She then left and came back a few minutes later with the car. She slowly loaded them each into the back seat, and buckled the seat belts around them, just to be safe. She then returned to Kowalski, who was still lying helplessly in the corner.

Without a word, she set to work re-wrapping the wound in his side and pulling the various shrapnel from his wings and chest. When she had finished, she helped him stand on his good leg, and they slowly waddled over to the car. Still silent, Hazel got into the drivers seat and began driving back to the zoo.

She drove a lot slower than Rico had, and Kowalski calculated the drive would take over 23 minutes, if proper traffic laws were followed. He thought about making some form of conversation, but decided against it. No amount of small talk, explanations, or even apologizing would change his opinion of this girl. So he rode in silence, brooding over what had happened.

Hazel didn't even try to talk. She was still in shock, only going through the motions. She had told herself that it might come to this, but now... She sighed, bringing her thoughts back to the present, consoling herself with the fact that at least all the penguins had survived.

When they got back to the penguin habitat at the Central Park Zoo, Hazel still had not spoken a word, and neither had Kowalski. The three unconscious penguins were transferred once again, this time to their bunks, and Kowalski was walked into the habitat. Then he and Hazel sat down at the table, waiting for the others to awake. Even though it was late at night, neither of them dared to sleep.

Kowalski finally broke the silence, "You know, the only reason you're not tied up is because I am incapable of doing so. Don't start thinking you're going to get out of this. Four counts of treason and one of murder. And that's just the standard punishment, who knows what else the jury will find."

Hazel didn't answer, she just continued staring around the room, with that same unbroken stare. Every now and then she looked at Kowalski, but he only looked away. If he could see any reaction at all, it was a little more pain in her eyes, and a little more hopelessness in her expression.

Darkness. Dancing shadows moved across the black, like a vision of a cloudy dark night. Now and then an image would appear, and he would try to grasp it, only to find he had no wings, and the image would fade into black oblivion once more. After days, or was it only hours? Seconds, perhaps? a sort of horizon began to appear, as if a new day was breaking. The blackness began to fade, ever so slowly, into dark grey fog, then wispy grey clouds, and finally a slight tint of blue, which quickly changed to pink, and then yellow, although it remained faint and distant.

He heard someone calling for afar, but he couldn't understand what they were saying. Their voices were muddled and unrecognizable. After a while, he noticed one word seemed to stand out. He focused upon that word, and soon he could make out what it was. "Private." _"Private? What is a Private?_" He thought. A pause, followed by realization. "_That is my name!"_

With this final thought he forced open his eyes and groggily looked around. At first he didn't recognize anything, as everything was blurred beyond identification, and the glare of the early morning light was shining in his eyes. As his eyes cleared up, he found himself in a room which seemed vaguely familiar.

"Private, you're awake!"

This final wake up call brought him to his senses, and suddenly he knew where he was. He tried to lift his head to acknowledge the speaker, but he only managed to give himself a headache. Moments later he felt a wing around his back and neck, and with that help he was able to sit up. He blinked his eyes a few more times and looked around.

Standing next to him was a penguin, who he recognized after a moment. "Hazel..." he began, addressing this penguin, but before he could continue he was interrupted by a shout from beside him.

"Don't talk to her! Hazel, you've done your job, get back to the table."

Private turned to the side and saw Kowalski sitting at the table, a mean expression on his face. He noticed Rico was sitting on the stairs beside him as well, but he looked just as confused as Private felt.

They both looked to Kowalski, but he was busy watching Hazel as she made her way back to her seat. Private noticed the thick bandages on Kowalski's wings and body. Then he looked down at himself, and saw he, too, was covered in bandages. With this realization, the pain began to come back, though not as strongly as it should have been, due the the prolonged effects of the knock-out dart.

Kowalski had visibly relaxed since Hazel had returned to her seat, so Private tried again. "Kowalski? What is going on?"

Hazel flinched, and Kowalski looked away. Then he turned back, and while staring at the ground, he softly answered, "Think about it for a while, Private. You'll remember."

So, Private racked his brain, trying to remember something, and gradually it began to come back to him. Hans, the fighting... And Hazel. He turned in shock, and stared at the table where the two of them sat. "How are you alive, Kowalski?"

"She didn't shoot me. She shot Hans. Now that's enough of this conversation, save it for the trial."

Private only stared. He couldn't believe his ears. Hans was dead, killed by Hazel. He finally spoke, choosing to ask, "A trial? But why?"

"She conspired with the enemy."

"But... didn't you say... she killed him?"

"Enough, Private! She betrayed us! Now stop!"

Private shrank back, alarmed at this sudden outburst. Hazel looked like she hasn't even noticed. Private turned away and laid back down on his bunk, lost in thought.

A few minutes later he heard movement above him, and then he saw two feet hanging over the edge of the bunk. Skipper must have came out of the blur of the anesthetic much faster than Private had, because only moments later he jumped to the floor, ready for action.

Unfortunately, this macho attitude didn't last long, for when he landed on his leg, he fell to the ground, and nearly cried out in pain. Rico rushed over to help him, and soon he was sitting comfortably on the step.

"Looks like we're all pretty beaten up." He began. "But now, Kowalski, I'd like to hear how you got us all back here alive afterrrrr what the deuce!? Hazel?! Is this some kind of sick joke?" For Skipper had not noticed Hazel when he first began.

"No sir, I brought her back for interrogation and trial." Stated Kowalski.

"It looks to me like she brought you back, along with the rest of us." Interjected Private.

"Private. As if now, she is officially a prisoner. No fraternizing with the prisoner!"

"But Skippah!"

"No buts, Private. I've had enough of your buts."

"Sorry sir..."

"We'll start the trial promptly at 1600 hours when the zoo closes. But for now, Rico, guard the prisoner, and Private, gather our court supplies."

**Please review and tell me what you think. This is the first chapter with visible changes. **


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 Remake

**Well, here comes the trial. Prepare yourselves for Hazel's backstory! **

Skipper sat down at the large desk, with a wig on his head and a gavel in his hand. He called up his first speaker. "Rico, please step forward." Skipper then held out a large book, which read Encyclopedia of Fish on the cover. "Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

"Yep."

"Alright. What would you like to say as defense attorney?"

"Ehhhhh... Nuhtn!" Rico then returned to his seat.

After exchanging a few bewildered looks with the others, Skipper had his conclusion, "Looks like she's guilty. Case closed."

From the witness chair, Private spoke up, "Skippah, might I be the defense attorney?"

"Fiiine..." groaned Skipper, pulling out his Fish Encyclopedia once again.

After Private had been sworn in, he turned to face his colleagues.

"We are here this morning to determine the fate of our friend, Hazel."

"Friend, Private?" Asked Kowalski from his seat.

"Yes, friend. May I continue?" Skipper nodded his head in consent, and Private continued, "We all know what happened, but I'd like to hear both sides of the story, from the prosecution and the defense. Kowalski, will you please step forward?"

After he had taken the oath and sat on the witness stand, Private asked, "So, please tell us all what happened at Hans's lair."

Kowalski groaned, but began his tale, "Skipper, Rico, and I were fighting Hans, and frankly, we were losing. I thought it would be the end of us, until Hazel arrived. She had been nothing but nice to us up to that point, so naturally I assumed she was there to help us. Obviously, she wasn't. She knocked out Rico and revealed to us all that she was working with Hans. After further fighting, she had knocked out both Private and Skipper. Then she and Hans approached me with a large, lethal looking gun. They said they were going to kill me, but at the last moment Hazel turned the gun on Hans and shot him."

"Well, thank you Kowalski. You may return to your seat. Hazel?"

She slowly moved to the witness chair and took the oath on the encyclopedia. Then she turned to face Private, who was ready with a question.

"Please tell us, from your perspective, what happened at Hans's lair?"

"Just at the lair? Kowalski said exactly what happened, I... I did everything he said I did. Yes, I did it. I killed Hans..."

"Oh. Well, um..." Stammered Private.

"If you want an explanation, I need to start back a little further. Would you like me to start from the beginning? It doesn't change the facts... But it might help you understand."

"Oh, yes please."

"Well, you should take a seat, this'll take a while."

**-BEGIN FLASHBACK-**

I woke up that morning to a bright, sunshiny day, just like any other morning. I lived at the Beardsley Zoo, in Connecticut, at the time, with my Mother, brother, and two sisters. My brother's name is Tommy, and my sisters' names are Meg and Jessie. They're twins. Anyway, that day started off normally. The humans came to visit the zoo, and we waddled around playfully for a few hours until it was time for lunch.

After the zoo keeper had thrown us our fish, another human entered our habitat carrying a large wire crate. We weren't suspicious, since the people at Beardsley keep close tabs on our health, and we were often taken in for examination. So, when the man waved for all of us to get in the crate, we did, without a fight. This is where things started to go wrong.

First of all, instead of taking us to the vet's office, he put us in the back of the zoo van. We hadn't heard anything about transfer, so this was a little suspicious.

Then, he sent the other zookeeper to the far side of the zoo, obviously just as a diversion. Once again, suspicious.

But what finally convinced us of trouble was this. A figure in a dark trench coat and hat walked out from behind a building, handed something to the zookeeper, and got into the drivers seat. When he turned around to look at our cage, we could tell that he wasn't a person at all, but some sort of strange reptile or bug. He took off the coat and we could see that he was bright red, and he had a companion.

At this point, we were terrified. We tried to talk to the freaks, but they didn't respond. They just started the vehicle and started driving. We looked out the window, one last time. This was the last I ever saw of my home.

After an hour or so of driving, the van stopped, and the red freaks got out and came around to the back to look at us.

"What do you want from us?" Asked my mother.

"It's nothing personal, you see. The boss just wants four penguins and... Wait. Hold up here, Lou, they's five of them penguins here."

"Dat ain't my problem Vernie. Just get rid of one of 'em."

"Get rid of one? Excuse me!" Shouted my mother. "What is going on here!"

"Like I said, the boss wants four penguins." Vernie then turned back to his colleague. "I say we get rid of the one with the weird eyes."

Now I could tell they were talking about me, I've always got attention for my eyes. So, I tried to be brave. I ran and hid behind my mother.

"Sure. Doesn't make a difference to me." He then opened the top of the cage and reached one large claw towards me. If we had been braver, we would have fought our way out then and there. Unfortunately, we were almost paralyzed with fear, and so no one did anything to stop him as he grabbed me.

Before I knew what was going on, I was flying through the air, until all of a sudden I landed with a splash in salty water. I swam to the surface, and searched for the shore or my family or the two freaky red guys, but there was no one to be found.

"_Where'd they go... And where am I? What's going on!_?" I thought to myself.

After a few moments of sheer panic, I swam back to land and searched frantically for any signs of where they had gone. After a while of searching, I gave up. It was a lost cause, they had obviously left. I haven't seen them since. I don't know... I don't even know if they're still alive.

After I had given up my search, I couldn't think of anything else to do, besides just standing in my own pool of sadness. I was planning on standing there until I fell over and died, but I heard a noise behind me.

"Who's there!" I shouted, turning around. I was prepared for the fight of my life, but standing before me was only a small version of the red reptile guys, probably a child. "Oh. Who are you?"

"Good question. Who are you?" She replied.

"Hazel. Where am I?"

"Coney Island. I'm Susan."

"Have you seen my family?" I asked, pleadingly.

"Four penguins?"

"Yes, yes! Have you seen them?"

"No. But the boss has been asking for four penguins for weeks."

"Oh." I responded, dejectedly. "What does this boss want them for?"

"Well, he has these enemies, four penguin commandos, and he needs penguins to test his inventions on."

"Oh God... Will he kill them?"

"Not on purpose. Don't worry, the Doctor's test penguins normally last almost a year. They've got a while to live, maybe they'll even make it out alive! Well, no. That won't happen."

"That's reassuring." I replied sarcastically. "I just... What am I supposed to do now... How can I help them...? Poor Tommy, he's just a kid!" At this point I was talking to myself, I had forgotten Susan standing right behind me.

"You can't help them, lady. My suggestion, go out, get a life, and forget about them."

"You heartless witch. They're my family!" I shouted, growing angry. I began studying the freak, trying to decide if I could beat her in a fight.

"Alright, alright. At least get yourself some help. But don't tell anyone I said that..." She stopped talking and looked off into the distance. "You better go, lobster training begins at 5."

I turned around to see hundreds of the red reptiles marching towards me. After one last look at the girl who had "helped" me, I ran off, to some unknown destination, looking for help.

After a few weeks of searching, I somehow found myself in the Hoboken Zoo. I hadn't eaten or slept much in this time, so as soon as I had made it through the zoo gates, I collapsed, exhausted. The last thing I saw before passing out was a black and white figure flying towards me.

I woke up in a cave, with a kind-looking opossum standing over me.

"Where am I...?" I asked.

She answered me cheerily, saying, "Welcome to the Hoboken Zoo, Puffin Exhibit. I'm glad to see you're finally awake. Oh, I'm Ma! What's your name?"

"Um, I'm Hazel..."

"Well hello Hazel. What brings you here, anyway?"

"I'm... I'm looking for someone to help me. My family... They were captured, and... and I need help saving them."

"Well now honey, that sounds mighty dangerous. I think I know just the guy to help you!" She then turned to the doorway and shouted, "Hans! Get in here."

The black and white figure I had seen earlier flew in through the doorway and landed beside me. This was Hans.

"Vat do you vant, Ma?" He asked, annoyed.

"I want you to help this little darling. Her family was captured."

"Awe, Ma, do I have to?"

The opossum looked at Hans and started chocking. After a moment she turned blue and fell to the ground, twitching. She looked like she was about to die!

"No, no, I'm sorry! I'll help her!"

All at once Ma jumped back to her feet, seemingly fine once again. "Good." Then she turned around and left.

"Alright, tell me vat happened."

So, I told him everything. The whole story I've told you. And when I had finished, he sat there thinking for a while, and then seemed to come up with a plan.

"Well, I think I know what happened to them. Dey were captured by Dr. Mammal Fish. Some call him Dr. Blowhole. I vill help you get dem back."

"Oh, thank you so much, Hans. You have no idea how..."

"Wait." Interrupted Hans. "First, you must help me."

"But... My family needs me Now..."

"You vill do this, or get no help at all. You decide." Said Hans with a smirk.

"Alright. Just tell me what I have to do."

Hans smiled. "Dis is more like it. You see, these Four Penguin Commandoes, de enemies of de mammal fish? Ja, dey are my enemies, too. You help me get dem, and I'll help you with Blowhole. De best part is, if de penguins are gone, he won't need your family. We shouldn't have to fight him and his lobsters at all! Is that a deal?"

"Deal."

So we made a plan. I was to go to the Central Park Zoo, and assimilate myself into your group. When the time was right, Hans would lure you all to his lair, where we would "incapacitate your group." I convinced him that we could do this by killing only one of the four of you. Then, after we had made the plan, he started training me.

He taught me everything he knew about you, (which wasn't much) and how to act without raising suspicions. This part was easy, I just had to act natural. And of course, he taught me how to fight.

Throughout the weeks of training, Hans got more and more excited. Apparently I was a fast learner, and he said I fought well. He got really confident that we would beat "those penguins." I think that's when he started changing. It was gradual, but it was there. By the time I left to come here, Hans was a whole different person. ...Er, bird. Eviler, and ready for revenge. You mentioned that he was acting more vicious and evil than normal, well, that's why. He was just drunk on his power and excitement.

Finally, we decided that I was ready, and I took a bus to this zoo. You all know what happened then. I came here, and I made up a whole backstory, and prepared myself for your downfall. But... I guess I made friends with you all... Which kind of messed that up... Hans and I stayed in contact, but that was minimal, we didn't want to blow my cover.

After I had been here for about a week, I realized that I was not going to be able to kill any one of you. I didn't tell Hans, of course, but I tried to make plans for getting out if this situation. Of course, I have never been much of a strategist... And it wasn't until only a few days ago when I thought of my plan.

Anyway, yesterday morning, I contacted Hans. It seems so long ago now, I can't believe that was just a little more than 24 hours ago... Well, he kidnapped Private, and you all rushed away to his lair. I followed, slowly, still thinking about my plan.

By the time I got there you all looked pretty beaten up. The plan was to knock out three of you and then kill the last one. Well, I had a gun with knock out darts, and I know from experience that those aren't painful at all, so I wasn't worried about knocking out three of you.

When I first got there I noticed Rico was trapped under a rock. I helped him out from under that, but then Hans gave me the signal, and so I apologized and shot Rico.

You three made it hard for me though, and Private made it a lot worse by escaping from the cage. I don't know why Hans used that volley of arrows against you, that was just cruel. We finally shot Private and Skipper, but I guess the worst was yet to come.

As I said, Hans and I decided to kill only one of you. The reason I chose you, Kowalski, was that... Well... I don't really know.

Anyway, um, yea. So, uh,Hans and I got out his big, "lethal gun," as he called it. I had asked before hand if he would let me shoot you, and he had agreed. So really, Kowalski, you weren't in much danger. I was never going to shoot you. I know I acted all tough... But I wouldn't hurt you.

So, what finally happened was this. Hans handed me the gun, then we approached Kowalski. I acted like I was going to shoot Kowalski, but in the end, I turned and shot Hans. That wasn't my original plan, but after all that had happened... I panicked. I couldn't risk him getting suspicious and pulling another gun on any one of you. So I killed him. After that I bandaged you all up and brought you back here. And, well, here we are.

-**END FLASHBACK-**

"I guess that's it." Finished Hazel, looking at the ground. "The story of why I murdered the Dane."

Private continued to sit in go chair, lost in thought, until Skipper cleared his throat and waved his flipper in front of his face.

"Oh, sorry. Thank you Hazel. I have no more questions."

"Kowalski, would you like to question the defendant?" Asked Skipper.

"Yes. I have a few questions, actually..." He got up and walked towards Hazel. "Why didn't you just help us, back there in Hans's lair? You didn't have to go through Hans's whole scheme. It would have been five to one, we would have won for sure."

"Kowalski, I did have to go through his whole scheme. He had that entire place booby trapped, with stuff worse than just that volley of arrows. He thought things were going his way the whole time, so he didn't use them. But if I would have helped you, he could have killed us all with a push of a button."

"Oh..." Kowalski thought for a moment, then asked his next question. "Well, if you knew the lair was booby trapped, why did you let the whole thing happen in the first place? You could have stopped it."

Kowalski stood there with a smirk, waiting for Hazel's answer. He thought he had outsmarted her this time, but he was wrong.

"Well, Hans would have kidnapped Private with or without my help. It didn't matter, so I decided to go with it, for the same reason as my last answer. And besides, I thought if I killed Hans, which I did, then maybe you guys would help me, instead of him... I mean, he may be dead, but Blowhole still has my family. I will do anything to save them, and I did what I thought I had to do."

Kowalski responded mercilessly, "You aren't getting any help from us, not after what you've done."

Hazel looked at Kowalski with wet eyes, but before she could say anything, Skipper spoke.

"Hold on now, that isn't your call, Kowalski. That's my call, I'm the judge. Private, read me my options."

Private looked down at his clipboard, which was covered in hasty sketches. "Well, eithah she's guilty, or not guilty. Sentence for guilty- banishment from the zoo. And if she's not guilty, we help her save her family."

"Thank you Private. Does anyone have any final words?"

"I do." Said Kowalski. Private groaned from his seat. "Quiet, Private. Now, Skipper, I would like to point out the fact that Hazel here has crafted a very nice story, and I'm sure it's true... For the most part. Nevertheless, you must keep in mind that she tricked us about her intents, purposes, and identity for over two months, conspired with our enemy, then Killed Him, and caused physical injuries to each of us. I think you know what to say."

Skipper looked at him for a minute, then down at the desk, carefully avoiding making eye contact as he said, "Hazel, I pronounce you- guilty of all charges, and I hereby banish you from this zoo. You may pack your belongings, but you must be gone by the time the zoo opens tomorrow morning."

Hazel looked down at the floor, closing her eyes. Private waddled up to he and patted her back, but there was nothing he could say. After a moment she got up and went to gather her meager belongings, followed closely by Private.

"What have I done..." Mumbled Skipper to himself.

"The right thing, sir." Answered Kowalski from behind him.

The next morning they were standing at the zoo gates, escorting the "prisoner" away. At the gate, she turned to the others to say goodbye.

"Will you please help me? I can't save them on my own." She pleaded, one last time.

Kowalski was the only one able to speak. "No. Goodbye, Hazel."

"Please?" She begged, almost in tears. "I killed a man for you. I saved your life, and in the process I earned myself a one way ticket to hell. Please!"

But Kowalski said nothing.

She looked into his eyes for a long moment, searching for some part of the Kowalski she knew and loved. But she couldn't find even a trace, that part of him was long gone. So, she turned around and left.

Jason Bills excitedly pulled his mother through the zoo gates, speeding towards the penguin habitat. For over 2 months now he had been pleading with her, begging to be taken to the zoo again. He wanted to visit the penguins. Finally, on this warm late-spring day, Mrs. Bills had gotten permission from her boss to have the afternoon off, and she had driven Jason all the way across town to see these flightless birds once again.

"...and they flip into the air! Like a summersault! And they waddle! And dance!" Jason had been excitedly telling his mom the story for the entire ride, eagerly anticipating the adorable antics.

As they neared the penguin exhibit, they saw the daily crowd was already forming. Jason pushed his way to the front, pulling his mother behind him.

"Mom! See! See them! Hey, look! That one smiled at me last time. This is so exciting! See them!" As they continued to wait, the crowd grew a little frustrated, which grew into a lot of frustration quite quickly. The penguins had not yet moved. "Mom! Why aren't they doing anything?" Whined Jason.

"I don't know, honey..." She sighed. "He was so looking forward to this..." She thought. She looked closer, trying to guess if they would move anytime soon. She began to notice what she hadn't seen before. Several of the penguins had various bandages covering their bodies, and they all had strange, empty looks in their eyes. They seemed to stare off into space, through the crowd.

"Maybe we should go visit the other habitats." She suggested, softly. Jason nodded and dejectedly followed his mom back through the crowd and over to the rhino exhibit.

As her son gradually cheered up as they toured the rest of the zoo, Mrs. Bills thought about those penguins. "_I just wonder what happened to them.._." In fact, this was what was on many people's minds as they left the zoo that evening. A few animal lovers wondered if they could help them somehow. But of course they couldn't. No one can bring back what is past.

**This chapter had several changes as well. **

**During Hazel's flashback, the opossum referred to as "Ma" is from the episode "Smotherly Love."**

**And another thing- the questions Kowalski asked Hazel were mostly for you, the readers, because I thought those might be questions you all would want answered. :)**

**Last thing- I introduced Hazel's 4 family members here. If you are interested, you can go to my bio and see I have posted quick summaries about all of my OC's. (Age, name, appearance, etc.) It'll be right at the top, you won't have to scroll through any stuff you don't care about. So please check that out! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 Remake **

**So, let's see what's going to happen next! Remember, Hazel was just kicked out of the zoo.**

The zoo was closed, and the penguins were in the HQ. They all sat at their small table in silence, with blank expressions on their faces. The day had been a slow one, and they were glad it was over, although sitting there at the table wasn't much better.

Once in a while, Skipper opened his mouth to issue a command of some sort, but he always gave up before he said anything. Their silence was finally interrupted when their door swung open with a Bang! and Marlene rushed into the room.

"Hey guys! Have you seen Hazel? She was supposed to come over this evening to teach me how to knit!"

Four pairs of blue eyes turned to look at her, but no one answered her question.

"No? Alright. Say, are you guys okay? You look awful glum."

"Understatement of the century..." Muttered Private from his seat.

"What happened?" Asked Marlene with concern.

"Nothing." Snapped Skipper. "Don't say anything." He said to the other penguins. "Hazel is gone. That's all you need to know, civilian."

Marlene was shocked at this. "Gone! But... Why?"

"Like I said, that's all you need to know."

Marlene put her paw on her hip and gave him her signature look, but he didn't budge. She looked at Private, but he was staring down at the table. "Awe, come on guys!" She waited for an answer, but got nothing, so she stormed from the room in a huff.

When the door had slammed shut and he could no longer hear Marlene's footsteps receding down the hall, Kowalski stood up and turned to his comrades. "Why are you acting like this? I'd expect this kind of behavior from Private, but not normally from you Rico, and definitely not from you, Skipper. What has gotten into you?"

"Well, for one, I sent a young girl to fight my arch-nemesis alone. That tends to get to a man..."

"Yup. She gon die..." Added Rico from his seat.

Kowalski scoffed, "She's not a young girl, Skipper. You know she's older than Private."

"That doesn't mean she can take Dr. Blowhole."

"I just can't believe you actually banished her..." added Private.

Kowalski looked at him disapprovingly. "You should stay out of this, Private. This is no place for sentimentality."

"Why not?" Asked Private, growing aggravated. "Just because you don't have any feelings anymore, doesn't mean we can't have any either!"

"This has nothing to do with my feelings." Answered Kowalski with a glare.

"Yes it does! You're just mad because you got your heart broke again!"

Kowalski barely hid his shock when Private said this. He was about to inquire about how much Private knew, but he stopped himself.

Skipper answered for him with a bitter laugh, saying, "How could Kowalski get his heart broke? He doesn't have a heart anymore."

"True dat!" Added Rico.

"No, really! Kowalski, you know I'm right." Pleaded Private.

"No. You're not." Answered Kowalski, his calm composure returned. With that, he turned and hobbled to his bunk, and proceeded to lay down. "I'm going to bed."

"Good to know..." Muttered Skipper. He then turned to the other two remaining penguins. "What do you think about Hazel? I don't mind banishing her, I mean, she's a murderer now, but she's going to fight Blowhole... I wouldn't send many of my enemies to a fate like that..."

Rico only shrugged his shoulders, but Private looked thoughtful, and then answered.

"I don't agree with banishing her, but I think I could live with that. But this isn't just banishment. This is basically sentencing her And her family to death... And that's just cruel. I mean, her family did nothing wrong."

"Well, when you put it that way..." Skipper looked lost in thought, more than a little indecisive.

"I think we should go help her! After all, it would simply be a good deed for someone in need. We don't have to bring her back here, we just need to help her save her family. Please, Skippah." Begged Private.

Kowalski looked up from his bunk, noticing that Skipper was almost convinced. He got up with a sigh and hobbled back to the table. "You aren't seriously considering this, are you Skipper? What kind of a leader would that make you? Going back on your word, aiding a criminal in exile... I'm ashamed of you."

Skipper looked down at the table, and Private turned to Kowalski in anger. "I can't believe you're saying these things, Kowalski! She was your friend! Why are you doing this!?"

Kowalski remained calm as he smugly answered, "I am looking out for the good of the team, unlike you."

Private glared at him, but said nothing.

"And besides," continued Kowalski, "how do we know this isn't another one of Hazel's traps. She betrayed us once, she'll do it again. Killing Hans might just be the first step of some diabolical scheme which has yet to be revealed to us."

"I don't believe that, Kowalski. She was under oath when she told us her story." Replied Skipper.

"Criminals don't always tell the truth on the witness stand."

"Kowalski, that's enough." Reprimanded Skipper. "I know you don't want us to go after her, but that's taking it a little far."

"Alright, alright." Said Kowalski, looking down at his feet.

"I don't suppose we're going to reach a decision tonight." Said Skipper. "It's getting late, men, I think it's time for lights out. We'll make our decision in the morning. But until then, not another word from you, Kowalski."

"Yes, sir."

And with that, the penguins all hobbled off to their bunks and went to sleep.

Or, so they thought. Shortly after three sets of snores could be heard, one penguin left his bunk and stole out into the night. He slunk quietly to Marlene's habitat, where he proceeded to let himself into her cave.

Marlene jumped up with a start. "Wha? What's going on!"

"We need to talk."

Marlene flicked on her lamp. "Oh, it's just you, Private."

"Yeah, its me. Listen, Hazel's in trouble. We have to help."

"It's the middle of the night!"

"I know." Responded Private. "But we have to make plans."

"Private, I don't even know what's going on. You're going to have to start from the beginning."

"Oh, fine." And with that, Private proceeded to tell her Hazel's tale, from start to finish. Marlene looked shocked, but listened with attention. When he had finished, she sat there for a moment, stunned.

"I never knew she was capable of anything like that..." Was what she finally chose to say. More time passed before she was able to get over he shock enough to say anything else. "But I do agree, we need to help her. But what can we do?"

"Nothing." Said a voice from the doorway. They turned in shock, and saw Skipper standing there, an annoyed expression on his face. "Private, we are going to go help her. We may have to leave Kowalski behind, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. But for now, you need to get back to your bunk."

Private nodded and left sheepishly.

Skipper turned to Marlene. "He knows better than to sneak off at night. Did he think I wouldn't notice?"

"He's worried about our friend, Skipper. I think he'd do just about anything at this point. I'm glad you're going to help her."

"Yes... But I don't know if we'll make it to her on time. After all, she'll have a whole days start in us. A lot can happen in 24 hours..."

"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Said Marlene reassuringly. "I have faith in you."

He gave her a thankful smile and turned to leave. Marlene almost said something else, to get him to stay just a little longer, but decided against it. "He Will be fine." She thought. "After all, it's just Dr. Blowhole. What could go wrong?"

**Oh, do you like my little nod at Skilene there at the end? I'm not a fan of that, but it fit nicely here.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 Remake **

**In case you never went and looked, I'm going to put my quick overviews of each character right here for a reminder. Just skip down to the unbolded if you don't care.**

**Hazel- Age: 31 (In human years. The other penguins would be Skipper:33, Kowalski:35, Rico:32, and Private:28.) She has eyes with several different colors, and she enjoys knitting.**

**Mother (Mary)- Hazel's mom. Age- 48. Slightly shorter than Hazel, a little plump. Brown eyes. She had some trouble when hatching her fist chick, Hazel, because she was so young, so after that her and her husband waited several years before trying to hatch any more children.**

**Meg and Jessie. (Megan and Jessica)- twins, Hazel's sisters. They are 14 years old. They are both about the same height as their mother, which would be a little shorter than Rico. They look exactly the same, except their eyes sre different shades of brown. These two girls are inseparable, never leaving each other's sides. They act like typical teenagers, but they are good at heart.**

**Tommy- Hazel's brother. Age- 7. A little shorter than Private, he is still a child and he looks it. He has bright blue eyes. He likes to have fun, but he is very reliant on his sisters and mother, and he won't do anything without their consent.**

The day dawned clear and warm, with a bright sun and a few fluffy white clouds dotting the sky. A beautiful day. But from the periscope in the penguin exhibit, it looked dark and ominous.

"Are you sure you won't come with us, Kowalski?" Asked Private, for what seemed like the ten billionth time.

"Yes, I'm sure. I won't participate in something so completely against my principles. Your altruistic behavior is admirable, but I won't be a part of it. Not for her..."

"Alright, Kowalski, we get it. Try not to blow up the HQ while we're gone." Said Skipper, making a move for the exit.

Just then, the door flew open, and once again Marlene barged into the lair.

"Marlene? What are you doing here? You know we're leaving to rescue Hazel?" Asked Skipper.

"I know. That's just it. I was wondering if I could come with you."

Skipper laughed, but then looked back at Marlene and saw she was serious. "Listen, dollface, this is a top secret mission, for elite fighters only. I'm afraid you just don't fit that description."

"But Kowalski isn't coming, you'll need someone for options. You have to admit, I have more common sense that these two put together." She then gestured to Private and Rico.

"Hey!" Said Private. "I'm right here!"

"Eh, it true." Said Rico.

"And besides, you're still hurt. You can barely walk. You need my help. Please?" Marlene added with a smile, batting her eyelashes at Skipper.

"Oh fiiiine." He relented. "But just this once. You hear me? Only Once!"

"Yeah, I get it, now let's go! This is a rescue mission, isn't it? The clock's ticking!" Marlene then left the habitat, closely followed by Private. Rico shrugged and followed.

Skipper looked once more at Kowalski, who was seated at the table. He wanted to ask him to join them one more time, but changed his mind. He knew what kind of answer he would get. But all the same, leaving Kowalski was like leaving his flipper behind. "_We'll be fine without him. What are you worried about, Skipper?_" He thought to himself. With that, he slowly hauled himself up the ladder and joined his team, plus Marlene and minus Kowalski.

They all piled into the car, Rico at the wheel and Skipper beside him.

"Let's hope this rescue mission goes bettah than the last one." commented Private from the back seat.

"Be quiet, you'll jinx us!" Replied Skipper. And with that, they drove off.

Rico made quick work of the crowded streets of New York, swerving past cars and people, barely avoiding a wreck, and generally disobeying every traffic law ever made. It was easy to see the path of destruction which he had left in his wake.

After only a few minutes they crossed the Queensboro Bridge and began making their way through Brooklyn. This took longer than their trek through New York, but it still went by quickly. With Rico at the wheel, a cross country trip could be considered quick.

When they were nearing the Seaville Aquaium, Rico finally slowed down. They saw the gates up ahead, and beyond that the aquarium itself. Rico stopped the car, and Skipper turned to address his team.

Just then, they heard a voice over the loudspeaker.

"The aquarium with self destruct in one minute."

"Blowhole!" Shouted Skipper. "That's our cue, men. Roll out!" Then he paused, thinking for a moment. "Not you Marlene." And with that the three penguins rushed through the gates of the aquarium, which only had 56 seconds left.

After searching through the empty zoo for 17 of their 56 seconds, they found a passage leading downwards, probably underground. They were about to rush through it when they saw a black and white figure running towards them through the smoke from the other end. As it approached, the men could see it was Hazel. She seemed to be holding something in her arms, but they couldn't tell what.

"What are you doing here!?" She shouted as she approached. "Get out! It's going to explode!"

"But what about Blowhole?" Asked Skipper as she ran past. He could then see that she was carrying a smaller penguin, who looked like he had barely shed his baby feathers.

"Gone! His lair is in flames and mostly caved in." She had stopped to tell them that, but then she turned around again and started running. "Less talk! Get out of here!"

So the penguins slid as quickly as they could to the gate, and rushed through it with 3 seconds to spare. They then turned around and watched as the entire aquarium exploded. Skipper smiled in satisfaction, but Hazel began to weep.

"What's wrong?" Asked Private with concern.

"And what happened?" Asked Marlene, who had joined them.

"And who is this?" Asked Skipper in suspicion, pointing to the smaller penguin.

"Y Wha kaboom?" Asked Rico.

Hazel knelt down to the little penguin she had carried out of the aquarium. He looked pretty beaten up, and he still hasn't woken up. "This is my little brother Tommy. He needs medical attention. Smoke inhalation and burns. Kowalski, will you... Oh. He's not here."

"I'll help him." Said Marlene. Rico gave her a first aid kit from the car, and she got to work.

Hazel turned back to Skipper, and he said, "Alright. Well, what happened? We need all the details for the mission report."

"Everything?"

"Yes."

"Okay then..." With that, Hazel began yet another flashback.

-**BEGIN FLASHBACK-**

I left the Central Park Zoo at opening time yesterday morning. I waited around in the park to see if any of you would change your minds and join me. You didn't...

Anyway, then I made the cross town trip to this aquarium. That didn't take too long, and I got here late last night. I spent the night in some old box, and then this morning began making plans for getting into that lair. I finally ended up knocking out a lobster and using his pass card to get in.

After working through a maze of corridors and tunnels, I finally found what looked like a lab. I mean, the door said "laboratory" on it... So, I went in, and started looking around.

After I had been searching for a minute, I heard the door open behind me. I hid behind a large table, then peeked out and saw who had just entered. It was a dolphin on a Segway. As if that wasn't ridiculous enough, he was closely followed by a few lobsters, and they were feeding him fish.

"Now, red one, prepare the newest test." Said the dolphin, who I realized was none other than the notorious Dr. Blowhole.

So, the lobster started setting up some sort of contraption on the lab table, while Dr. Blowhole watched.

Blowhole continued talking, "This is perhaps my greatest invention. It will kill those pen-yoo-ins once and for all. I'll have to get new test peng-yoo-ins though, they'll never survive... Oh, small price to pay. This one will work!"

As I observed this, my panic growing, I heard a noise behind me.

*Psst!*

I whipped around, and there, in a cage, was my family! Mom, and Tommy, and Meg and Jessie.

*Mom!* I whispered. *I'm here to help you guys!*

*Well you better hurry, he's setting up another one of his tests.* said Jessie.

*Shush.* warned my mom. *Don't act like that. Hazel, I'm so glad to see you!*

Meanwhile, I had been looking around, and I found some keys hanging on the wall on the other side of the room. To make a long story short, I finally made it over there without being seen. After climbing up a table and over a pile of papers, I grabbed the keys and slid back over to my family.

*You are so brave, Hazel.* whispered my brother in admiration. Meg and Jessie laughed a little at that, but I could tell they were glad to see me all the same.

I finally found the right key and opened their cage. We then climbed up a shelf to the top of a filing cabinet, where I had seen a vent. We had almost made it when Blowhole turned around, probably to get his test penguins. When he saw that they weren't there he made some kind of awful dolphin noise and turned to the lobster.

"Where are they!" he screeched.

"Right there, boss." He answered, pointing directly at us with his big red claw.

"Why must all pen-yoo-ins be so difficult to contain?" he groaned. With that, he pressed a large button on his Segway.

"Self destruct sequence- initiated."

Blowhole looked shocked. "Wrong button..." He muttered. "Red one, how do you shut this off?"

"It don't shut off, boss. That way them penguins can't turn it off."

"Oh, right. Speaking of pen-yoo-ins..." He said, turning to us. We had been trying to get the grate off the vent, but we had been unsuccessful. "If this place is going to blow up, I'll just leave you here. Makes my job that much easier." With that, he drove away.

The lobster followed closely, closing and locking the lab door behind him.

"One minute to lair destruction, 10 minutes to aquarium destruction." Said the loudspeaker.

"Let's get out of here!" I shouted. We found a screwdriver and got the grate open. After traveling for a while, we found another grate and jumped out that. We were in a large room, which looked like a control center. It was empty, but a few minutes before it probably would've been full of lobsters.

Jessie saw the exit and shouted, "over there!" We ran to that and found ourselves in a long corridor.

"Left or right?" Asked Tommy.

"Uhhh... Right?"

So, we slid right. As we started off, we heard the speaker, "15 seconds to detonation."

"Crap..." I muttered, as we came upon a fork in the corridor. "Right again!" I said to the others. We slid as fast as we could, but as the loudspeaker started counting down from 5, I knew it was no use.

When it said "One!" We all huddled together, expecting to die. But all we heard was the rumble of one explosion, far below us.

"Just one?" I asked the others.

"That's all for now. But it's enough, he's planned for the one explosion to cause a total structural failure, which will spread the flames, and eventually destroy the entire place. He then blows up the rest of the aquarium just for good measure." Answered my mother.

I looked at her, wondering how she knew all this, but she only shrugged and said, "I've been paying attention."

She was about to say more, but we felt the floor moving below our feet, and I began to smell smoke, so we started running again. We hadn't gone far before we heard a large crash. We turned around and saw that the tunnel behind us was completely collapsed. A pile of rubble blocked the entire corridor, and water spurted from a few broken pipes. A few sparks flew from electric wires, and we watched as a small fire ignited among the rocks.

"Moving on." I said, and we turned and ran some more. The smoke was thicker, and it was getting hard to see. We dodged chunks of ceiling, and a few electrical fires. The occasional rumbles from below grew louder, and soon the entire place was shaking.

Chunks continued to fall from the ceiling, and we were barely dodging them. Flames were starting to lick at the walls, and we were all coughing. Another rumble, and a huge chunk of concrete fell through the ceiling in a shower of rubble right behind us.

"That was close..." I muttered, looking around to my family. "Mom, Tommy, Meg, Jes... Where's Jessie!?"

We turned back to the mess of rocks, and there, under a pile of rubble, I could see one, small flipper. We frantically pulled at the rocks until we found her head. She groaned, and turned to us, tears in her eyes. I was probably crying too... We all were.

"That was scary. Don't worry, we'll get you out of there." I said, putting on a fake smile. I could see her bottom half was being crushed by the largest price of concrete, and there was no way a few penguins could ever lift that.

She saw through my front. "Don't bother. I can't even feel my legs. Get out of here."

"We're not leaving you!" Said my mother, who was in tears.

"Never swim alone." I added.

Meg turned to us. "She won't be swimming alone. I'm staying with her. You guys go."

"Meg, don't try to be a hero! You've got to go with them!" Begged Jessie from the floor.

"Jessie. I'm not leaving you. We hatched together, and you've been my best friend every day since then. If we're going to die, we can go down together."

With that, she sat down in the rubble with her sister. Mom hugged them both, but we knew there was nothing else we could do. So, we turned, and continued down the hall. I didn't look back. I couldn't.

A while later, we heard the loudspeaker (which was somehow still working, don't ask me how) again. "Two minutes to aquarium destruction."

"That's great..." I complained. I can't believe I still cared enough to complain.

We rounded a corner and ran strait into a wall of flames. That was terrifying, but what was worse was when we looked back to where we had come, all we could see was rock and rubble. We turned back to the flames and looked closer. The tunnel on the other side looked clear, so we knew what we had to do.

I turned to Tommy and said, "We're going through, bud. You and I can go together." He nodded, and took my flipper. We looked at Mom once more, and then jumped. The flames were hotter than I imagined, if that's even possible.

When we landed, I could still see flames dancing in front of my face. I ran a short bit, still holding Tommy's flipper, but we were still surrounded by fire. The odd part was, it didn't feel like we were running over coals. I looked at Tommy and saw that He was on fire, and then I realized what was really going on.

"Stop, drop, and roll!" I shouted, and we did just that. A broken water pipe dripped above us, and we stood in the water for a moment. Then we ran back to the fire to look for Mom.

She hadn't jumped through yet, so we shouted for her.

"Jump Mom!"

No response.

"Come on, jump!"

Still nothing.

I tried to peer through the flames, but all I could see was blackness. Meanwhile, the smoke was catching up to us, and Tommy had passed out on the ground beside me. I looked a little more, but there was no sign of my mom.

The speaker announced "The aquarium will self destruct in one minute."

-**END FLASHBACK-**

"I don't know what happened to my mom, but I do know that she's gone. I picked up Tommy and ran. We finally found the exit and that's when I ran into you guys. And now I'm here. And my mom is dead. And my sisters either burned to death or got crushed or exploded, either way, they're dead. And it's all my fault" And with that, she sat down on the ground, sobbing.

**That was depressing. Now would be a good time for a review? Even if you just want to bash me for killing 3 penguins. This chapter didn't change much though. **


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 Remake

They were still outside of the Coney Island Aquarium, or, what was left of it. The commando penguins were standing, still speechless from Hazel's story, as Hazel sat, weeping. Marlene was trying to keep her tears under control as she tended to Hazel's little brother Tommy, but he was still unconscious.

"I think this little guy needs some real help. I can't do much else." Said Marlene to the others. This brought them all back to reality, and Hazel stood up and wiped away her tears.

Skipper thought about that for a moment, closely watched by the others. "Marlene would never forgive me if we didn't help him. Let's take him back to the zoo. If Kowalski can't help him, or won't... The vet will be able to."

With that, they loaded Tommy into the car, and then they were all seated. All of them, that is, except Hazel. She stood beside the car, waiting. Rico put the key in the engine and moved to start driving, but Skipper stopped him.

"Hazel? What are you doing?" He asked. "You know the credo, Never swim alone!"

She smiled gratefully and got into the car, and they started off towards home.

At the zoo, the commandos parked the car and rushed into the lair with Tommy. Hazel stayed outside with Marlene, trying not to cause Kowalski any further aggravations.

In the lab, Kowalski was working, "improving" one of his recent inventions, when the other three penguins barged in, carrying the smaller penguin.

"Kowalski! Medical attention, burns and smoke inhalation, now!" Kowalski nodded and pulled out his first aide kit. As he began working, Skipper began filling him in on what had happened.

As soon as Kowalski realized that his patient was Hazel's brother, he stopped working and turned around.

"I... I can't."

"Kowalski..." Warned Skipper with a glare.

"Please take him to the vet. I don't think I can do this. I have to get out of here..." Pleaded the scientist.

"That's an order, soldier! This kid didn't hurt you, but I might, if you don't help him!" Shouted Skipper.

Kowalski grudgingly turned back to his patient, and continued his work with difficulty. Skipper finished telling the story of what had happened, and soon after they could see a little movement from Tommy. He finally opened his eyes and looked around.

"Where am I?" He asked.

"The Central Park Zoo, kid." Answered Skipper with a smile. "Glad to see you're awake. Good work, Kowalski." He then turned to Private. "Go get Hazel."

Private nodded and left, but Kowalski turned to Skipper. "You brought her here? Didn't we banish her yesterday?"

"She's unbanished, and I won't hear another word about it."

Kowalski looked away, but didn't say anything else. When Hazel walked in, he limped out of the room as fast as his injured body would take him.

Once he was alone, he leaned against the wall, sliding down until he was sitting in a ball on the floor. He put his head in his flippers, and remained like this for some time, wrestling with his emotions.

Ever since he had witnessed Hans's murder, Kowalski had been carefully reconstructing his box. Building walls around his emotions, using his anger to fortify them. His gratefulness at being alive was swallowed up in the abyss, and he had forgotten it rather quickly.

But now, this turn of events. Those carefully built walls were shaking, threatening to collapse. The box was caving in, his angry reinforcements dissolving like dust in the wind. And soon, it was all gone, blown away by the winds of sorrow. The box, the walls, everything. Nothing was left but the raw, powerful emotion.

He was overwhelmed. Hazel was a murderer, yes, she had taken one life to save his. But he, oh, he was so much worse. He had returned the favor by sentencing three innocent lives to death. And of course it wasn't just any death, no, he had sentenced them to an angry, fiery death, filled with pain which he could only begin to imagine. Yes, in this moment, Kowalksi realized that he was the true murderer.

Meanwhile, Hazel was talking to her brother.

"We live here now. It'll be okay, these guys are nice, and we'll be safe."

"But... Meg and Jessie... They're gone?"

Hazel chocked out a soft "Yes..."

Tommy then asked, "But... Where is Mommy?"

"Oh, sweetie, Mommy's gone too."

He burst into tears, and Hazel hugged him, but didn't cry. She didn't have any tears left.

Private, of course, did, and he started sobbing. Skipper rolled his eyes, but let it go.

"Kowalski, Rico, Private, let's go topside. We've probably missed lunch." Said Skipper. They left, and went through cute and cuddly routine for the anxious zoo goers, who had been waiting for their appearance. Unfortunately, they weren't that cude or cuddly, considering all their injuries and woes.

Later, after the zoo had closed, Marlene returned to the penguin habitat. Hazel and Tommy were in the supply closet, which was once again Hazel's room. Kowalski was hiding in his lab.

Marlene asked the penguins, "So, you've let her come back?"

"Well, it's the least we can do..." Answered Private.

Skipper rolled his eyes and corrected him. "This is not a decision of sympathy. We are a military unit, not a group of yuppy school girls. We simply removed her banishment from the book, because it has been ruled unfair. On the record, that never happened, and the official ruling from the trial was "not guilty.""

"Alright, Skipper." Said Marlene with a laugh. "It's good to know you don't have a sympathetic bone in your body."

"They don't need sympathy." He replied.

"Skippah!" Said Private, shocked.

"Let me finish. Sympathy isn't going to get them through this. It would just make them weak. Starting tomorrow, they will be treated normally, like any other member of the zoo."

Marlene consented that Skipper was probably right, but she knew she would still feel sympathetic towards them for a long time.

At that point, Private changed the subject, and the conversation moved to lighter subjects. After a short while, Marlene left, and the penguins returned to their typical evening activities, trying to get their minds off of what had happened. Rico and Skipper played a game of cards, and Private put in a DVD of the Lunacorns.

After he has been working for a while in the lab, running through the motions of the scientific method, Kowalski heard the door open, and he turned to see who had entered his lab. As his luck would have it, it was Hazel.

"Please don't come in here." He asked, pleading. When she didn't move, he moved away, turning his back on her.

"Give me 20 seconds!" She answered angrily.

He didn't respond, so she continued.

"I just wanted to let you know that I don't care what you do to me. But if you Ever do Anything to hurt my little brother, you will pay. Comprende?"

He turned around, confused. "I... I don't..."

"Kowalski?"

"I can't do it, please Hazel, leave!"

Hazel turned with an angry huff and left. (If this was a humanized story, I would've added a nice little one fingered salute here, but it isn't, so I cant.)

Private was waiting for her outside of the lab. He moved to say something, but he brushed right past him and went down the hall. But he persisted, and stopped her halfway to her room.

"Hazel, stop! What happened?"

She turned to him, still seething. "He makes me so mad." She said, barely containing the anger in her voice.

"Oh... Hazel, I don't know what to tell you."

"I know. Sorry, it's not your fault, I shouldn't be so rude. It's just that... He's still mad! It's like he has no idea what happened."

"Are you sure he's mad?" Asked Private, concerned.

"He wouldn't even look at me."

"Oh, well maybe he'll get over himself soon. I mean, he has no right to be mad, really..."

"This is hard enough without him acting like this. How am I supposed to move on and live my life after losing them AND Kowalski..."

"Hazel, give him time. If he's angry, he'll come out of it. If he's not, you'll know soon enough."

"Alright. Thanks for the talk, Private..."

"Sure. I can talk anytime. Except, um, now, because it's getting late. I'd better get to my bunk, lights out was supposed to be fifteen minutes ago. Talk to you in the morning!"

"Yeah, goodnight." She answered with a smile.

Private receded down the hall, singing, "The sun will come out! Tomorrow!"

As soon as Hazel had left the lab, Kowalski had ran to the door and slammed in shut in a panic. He leaned against the door, listening to Hazel's receding footsteps. Then he turned away and walked back to the lab table.

"_She hates me now._" He thought to himself. "_And for good reason. But I can't... I just can't face her. Not after all I've done, I can't do it."_ A few tears slid down his beak: he knew what he had lost. His best friend, the only creature who he had ever wanted to open up to. The one who had truly and finally changed him for the better. But all that was gone now, replaced with anger, sorrow, and death.

Later that day, long after lights out, Kowalski was still working in his lab. He hasn't made anything particularly useful, he was just avoiding going back into the real world with the others. The lab was his fortress, and he cherished his time alone there. Away from the accusing and hateful glares of the others, he could finally find a small amount of peace.

This peace was never long lasting, a he was often overtaken by the waves of emotion. Without any way to contain it, it simply flowed as it wished.

As he cleared off his table for the evening, he moved a few jars and saw something on the table. He looked closer, and saw it was a small doodle of a few penguins, dancing in the rain. His mind flashed back to when Hazel had drawn that. Just as it had the last time, this memory brought a wave of sorrow down upon his head, and he floundered in it for a moment. Then, when he had recovered, Kowalski found some clear varnish and painted over the picture, preserving it forever.

"_This is all I have left._" He thought. _"And this is all I deserve."_

**The doodle memory was the same flashback as in chapter 9. You may or may not remember it, it's not that important.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 Remake**

**Whoo, lots of changes for this chapter! **

Hazel stood under the zoo gate, staring out into the park. It was raining slightly, and a cool breeze was blowing, signaling that fall was well on its way. She heard footsteps behind her, and she turned to see Private. He waddled up and asked, "Are you going to go feral or something? Why are you standing here?"

Hazel chuckled, but shook her head no. "I'm just thinking. It's been a month and nothing has changed. Will he ever get back to normal?"

Private immediately knew she was referring to Kowalski. "He'll come around, you'll see." He patted her back reassuringly.

"But did you see him this morning? He goes to such great lengths to avoid me."

"Yeah, I saw."

The two were referring to an incident that morning. Hazel had burst into the HQ and not a second later Kowalski had ran to his lab, leaving his half eaten fish behind.

"I can't believe he's still so mad... Sometimes I think that it was all for nothing..."

Private stopped her, disagreeing, "No it wasn't."

"Yes it was. My mom and sisters are dead and Kowalski..."

"No, Hazel, stop." Pleaded Private. "You still have Tommy. And you still have me. And Marlene. Even Skippah has accepted you."

"You know I'm grateful for all of you, I really am. But Kowalski... I miss him so much. I know that it's kind of his fault that they're dead, but still... If he would only come back to me, I think I could handle it. I'd forgive him, that's for sure."

"You'd forgive him?" Asked Private, wide eyed and incredulous.

"Yes!" Hazel grew serious, sounding impatient and slightly panicked. "You have no idea how much I want him, no, need him. That's about it. I need him. Not in some weird sexual way, I just need him. I need him here, I need him to listen to me and hug me and love me even when I cry. I need him to help me move on. I need him to wake me up from my nightmares and look me in the eyes and tell me it's all gonna be okay."

Private furrowed his eyebrows sympathetically, then seemed to realize something and asked, "What nightmares?"

Hazel looked a little startled, she knew she had said too much. "Well, I've... I've been having nightmares about Meg and Jessie's death. I know I didn't see it, but I can imagine..."

_Images of young penguins being crushed by falling debris, being buried alive. Slowly loosing oxygen, as they felt their feathers being burned and saw the smoke swim in front of their eyes. Explosions below them sending them tumbling down into a giant pit of flame, bodies roasting on the white hot razor sharp debris at the bottom. Broken electric wires dancing along the ground, inching closer to the penguins as they stared, unable to move or save themselves. And finally, after that final glance has been exchanged between the sisters, and after their final goodbyes have been said, there is death. The slow, horrible, painful death. Nothing follows but darkness. _

Hazel started out of the scene, realizing she was covered in a cold sweat. "I just... I can't get over this without him," she finally admitted.

But poor naive Private still couldn't understand. "But it was his fault...?"

"I don't give a damn who's fault it was. I just want him back!" Tears were flowing freely down her face. She knew she was probably making a scene, and scaring poor Private, but she didn't care.

At that moment they heard someone clearing their throat behind them, and they whipped around to see Kowalski. He looked awkward and afraid, but acted like he hasn't heard their conversation.

"Private. We need you in the HQ, ASAP." Private slid away, and Kowalski turned to Hazel. "And, uh, you too." He them turned and slid away, missing the slight sparkle of hope which glimmered in her eyes.

When they got to the HQ, Skipper began the briefing, while the four other penguins stood in a line in front of him.

"Our radars have detected several schools of North Atlantic cod just off the coast. Our mission today, harvest some of natures bounty. Hazel is joining us today to ensure maximum fish intake."

Hazel opened her beak to ask a question, but Skipper stopped her. "Don't worry, I already got clearance for you to join us."

"Actually, I was going to ask about Tommy. He can't stay here on his own all day."

Private piped up from beside her, "I already asked Marlene to watch him today."

"Oh, okay, thanks." Answered Hazel with a smile.

"Well, if there are no more questions, lets move out."

The penguins all piled into the car, ready to go. As Rico started the car and drove through the park, Private turned to Hazel, who was sitting next to him.

"So, are you excited for your first mission?" He asked cheerfully.

Hazel glanced to where Kowalski sat on his other side. "No, not really."

Private looked confused. "Why not?"

Hazel's only answer was a pointed look at Kowalski, who had somehow tangled himself up in the map. Private understood and dropped the subject.

Soon they were at the coast. They could see the Statue of Liberty, and they stopped to salute before getting out their fishing gear.

"According to my calculations..." Began Kowalski as he looked at his handheld radar, "the school of fish should be approaching fast from that way." He then pointed off into the distance.

Sure enough, they could see a dark cloud out in the water, and it seemed to be moving towards them.

"Alright Kowalski, options."

"Normally I'd suggest to just cast a few lines out there, but with a school like this, our best bet is using the nets."

"Oh, interesting plan, Kowalski. I dig it. Rico, two fishing nets." Rico hacked up said items, and Skipper picked them up. "We will split into two teams, two per net. I will be supervising. Because that's what I do. I supervise."

"Oh, can I work with Hazel?" Asked Private cheerfully.

"Negative." Responded Skipper. "We can't have the two lowest ranked penguins work together. Every net needs a senior officer."

Hazel raised a flipper and spoke, "Um, I don't even have a rank... I don't think."

Skipper face-flippered in annoyance, and then turned to Rico. "Rico, take the Private, you'll be in sector Alpha Victor. Move out, the clock's ticking."

The two penguins jumped off the dock with their net and swam hastily towards the approaching school.

Skipper turned to the two remaining penguins, who both had expressions of horror on their faces. They both moved to make an objection, but Skipper stopped them.

"I don't want to hear it. We don't have much time, just catch some fish. Sector Bravo Foxtrot."

Kowalski and Hazel both grudgingly waddled away. Hazel glanced at Kowalski and saw he was shaking slightly. She initially thought it was out of anger, but then realized it was out of fear. "_What is he afraid of_?" She thought. "_Me? I thought he hated me... But not out of fear..._" She pondered this as they jumped into the water and began swimming, pulling the net.

They reached the school of fish and began working together. Each secretly feared that the other would sabotage them, out of anger or revenge, and tangle them up in the net, leaving them to sink down to the ocean floor in a knot of ropes.

Of course, this didn't happen. The pair worked extremely well together, knowing instinctively what the other would do. The tension, however, made it impossible to speak. They both craved for the other to say something, anything, but neither was able to break the heavy silence.

A short while later the five penguins reconvened at the dock. Rico and Private had a net full of fish, and it took both of them to pull it out of the water. But then Hazel and Kowalski showed the others their catch. The two penguins, the most unlikely team, the ones who apparently hated each other and were unable to speak to one another, had caught the most fish of all. Their net was bursting, a few of the ropes snapping at the weight. All five penguins had to work together and use all their strength to get it into the truck of the car.

Skipper smiled, he had predicted this would happen. Private was also proud, he thought they had made a huge step. But to Kowalski and Hazel, it was all even worse. They had been given the perfect opportunity, and both were disappointed that the other had said nothing, yet they both feared what would happen if they themselves had said something.

And so, the painful silence continued.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 remake

Several weeks passed, and life at the zoo returned to normal. Well, it was a new kind of normal, but it was close enough. Things calmed down, and all but Kowalski accepted Hazel once again. No one in the zoo even knew what had happened besides the penguins and Marlene, and they decided to keep it that way. The only thing that the rest of the zoo noticed was the fact that Hazel and Kowalski never spoke.

Tommy fit in well with everyone, and many of the animals were glad to have such a young kid around. Kowalski, of course, avoided the kid, for no reason at all. But, luckily, he somehow found enough decency within him to treat him with a subtle respect. The other three just treated him like a little brother.

Tommy and Hazel were added to the zoo records, and Alice finally started giving the penguins their two extra fish. You could say that life was pretty good for this penguins. But yet, it wasn't.

Hazel didn't talk about it much, but almost everyone knew how sad she was. When she referred to "those she had lost," she always included Kowalski, without fail. It was obvious that she was in pain, and this was only the tip of the iceberg which could be seen by others. When she was alone, the past haunted her, the voices of the four dead birds circling in her mind.

Her mother, and her sisters, she remembered them so clearly. And she remembered leaving them all, leaving them to fire, pain, and death. And Hans. If any of the spirits had actually returned to haunt her, it was his. He had trusted her. He had promised to help her family. He had treated her nicely, saved her from the brink of starvation, taught her to fight and take care of herself... And her thanks? One bullet, right in the chest. Instant death. You're welcome.

Guilt was the feature of Hazel's life in those days. She put all her energy into acting happy and "fine" for the others, so when she was alone, she simply collapsed.

Only Tommy saw this side of her. How she wished she could hide it from him, but she knew she couldn't. He cried with her sometimes, but this grew more and more infrequent as they slowly rebuilt their lives. Tommy built his around his sister and his new zoo family. Hazel built hers around hope. Hope that a certain someone would come back to her.

It was the common belief around the zoo that Kowalski hated Hazel. It was the common belief around the zoo that he was actually shunning her in his anger. It was common belief around the zoo that he had no right to be angry.

But of course, Kowalski lives to be contrary to popular belief.

He did not hate Hazel. He was not shunning her out of anger, he was avoiding her out of fear. And he knew he had no right to be angry. He felt that he had no rights at all.

He was afraid, he was sorry, he was scared, and he didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to show it, or how to fix it. All he knew was that he didn't deserve forgiveness, so he didn't try to find any.

When he looked at Hazel, he saw that she was slowly rebuilding her life, slowly getting a little happier with each passing day. He didn't see through the front. He couldn't. So he thought he was doing the right thing in avoiding her.

All the same, the right thing can be painful. Sometimes he had to run to his lab and lock the door to keep himself from groveling at Hazel's feet, begging for an ounce of sympathy. He wanted to be forgiven. He wanted to see her smile at him an accept his apology. But he knew that if he did this he would open himself up to a wave of torment, one which he was not ready to face. So, he simply hid, and dreamed of the past.

On one rainy day, the zoo closed early for lack of visitors, so the penguins went back underground. The lemurs arrived shortly after that. When Julien walked in, announcing his arrival and his party intentions, Hazel stood up to leave.

"That's my cue. See you all later." She said with a smile. Then she returned to her room to knit. As she worked, she thought back to when she had helped Hans with his diabolical schemes. Even depressing thoughts like this were enough to ward off the nightmares which now haunted her waking hours. So, when she was alone she was hasty to occupy her mind.

"_There were so many better ways I could have handled that..."_ This was not a new thought for her, but she pondered it all the same. _"I just wonder... Could we have saved my family? Would I have actually Killed Hans? Would... Would Kowalski still love me?" _

She regretted everything. Stuck in her situation, she couldn't find a way out in the present or the future, so she dreamed of finding a way out in the past. But for all her dreaming and regretting, nothing changed.

She was running through yet another idea of what she should have done but didn't when she heard a knock at the door.

"Oh, come in."

Private poked his head around the door, then entered, closely followed by Tommy.

"This kid here has been begging me for stories all night. Says you'd be too busy to tell him one. I asked him why and he said "because she's probably crying." Hazel, are you still so miserable? This isn't healthy."

"Have you been keeping secrets?" Added Tommy.

"No!" Two pairs of unbelieving blue eyes stared back at her. "Oh, alright. I just don't want to share this with you all... You understand, don't you?"

"No, I don't. I don't understand you and Kowalski. You've got some strange miscommunication thing going on and it's ruining your lives."

Tommy looked confused. "I thought you were sad about Mommy and Meg and Jessie."

"I am. It's just that Kowalski... Well, he hates me now. And I wish he didn't."

Tommy's confusion continued. "Why does he hate you?"

"Because I... I betrayed him. A long time ago."

"Ohh."

Private added, "But he has no right to be mad! You saved us all from Hans, especially him. And then that whole othah thing..."

"Who is Hans? And what's that other thing?" Asked Tommy.

Private explained. "He was a bad guy. He wanted to kill Kowalski, but Hazel... Stopped him."

Hazel answered the other question. "And the other thing was, um... When I came to save you from Dr. Blowhole, the other penguins were going to come help me. But, uh, Kowalski made them wait until it was too late."

At this point, Tommy stopped her. "Okay, but, what you're saying is, it's Kowalski's fault that Mommy is dead."

"What!? I didn't say that! Please don't think that, we don't know if that's true or not."

"Hazel, why are you defending him?" Asked Private, a little astonished.

"He didn't know that all was going to happen, he would've helped if he had known."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just know. Tommy, please don't say that it was Kowalski's fault. Blame Dr. Blowhole."

"But it's true!" Argued Tommy. "If they would've helped you, nobody wouldn't died. It's his fault!" He then turned and ran from the room.

"Well." Said Hazel, turning to Private. "That was successful."

Private shook his head glumly.

"But, you understand why I can't blame Kowalski, right?" Wondered Hazel.

"I don't know. I guess." Answered Private.

They sat in silence for a while, each lost in thought. Several minutes passed before Private roused himself enough to say his good nights and leave the room.

Once she was alone, Hazel picked her knitting back up, and got to work. Knitting always helped her think. And tonight she had a lot to think about.

Meanwhile, Kowalski was still in his lab, this time working with some rotten tomatoes and an old confetti cannon, trying to invent a weapon to use against King Julien. He was hard at work when he heard a voice behind him. He hasn't heard any footsteps or the opening of the door, so he was startled, but it was what the speaker said that was even more startling.

"It's your fault that my Mommy is dead."

Kowalski turned in astonishment, trying to hide his shock with a question.

"What are you doing in here? And who told you that? Hazel?"

"No. She told me it Wasn't your fault... but I know it was."

Kowalski knew this, of course, and he knew that it was common knowledge around the zoo. Common, Unspoken knowledge. So for Kowalski, it was a little shocking to hear the accusation coming from someone else.

Lost for anything intelligent to say, he simply stared at the ground. He then heard Tommy approaching him.

"But you know Kowalski..." He started, making the scientist look up at him from where he was sitting, "I forgive you."

"What?"

"I said, I forgive you."

Kowalski was shocked. "But... Why?"

"You didn't know what would happen."

It felt like Tommy was the teacher, and Kowalski was just an unruly student. "But, that doesn't mean it wasn't my fault. I don't deserve to be forgiven." He said ruefully.

Tommy looked him square in the eye and said, "Kowalski, everyone deserves to be forgiven."

Kowalski looked at the floor, ashamed. Tommy continued. "And that means that you should forgive Hazel."

"What? But... I have forgiven her. She's not the one who did anything wrong."

"Then why don't you talk to her?"

This made him think. How to explain it all to a mere child? "I think she is mad at me, and won't forgive me."

"How do you know, you never tried?"

"I just know. I actually know Hazel really well, I can tell."

"I guess you don't know her as well as you think you do, because she's not mad at you. She's just sad."

And with that final statement, he left the room, leaving Kowalski more confused than he had been in a long time.

A few minutes of deep thought later, Kowalski knew what he had to do. "_What should I say?... What should I do?..."_ He thought. He didn't know the answers, but he got up and left the lab anyway.

He walked down the hall, and opened the door to Hazel's room. She looked up from where she had been sitting, thinking, and he saw one lonely tear had run down her face.

Their eyes met. Hazel's were hopeful, and questioning. Kowalski's were full if sorrow. They stood like that for a moment, neither of them speaking.

"I'm sorry." Hazel finally stammered out, breaking the silence.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry." He tried to say more, but he couldn't, because he was choking on his words, and then because Hazel was choking him with a hug. He hugged her back, finally sure that he had been forgiven.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 Remake **

**The final chapter!**

Hazel walked into the lair the next morning with large smile on her face. Kowalski was not there, (he was on a snow cone run) but the others were, eating the morning catch. When she closed the door, Skipper turned around. When he saw her, he jumped up, pointing.

"Who goes there?"

"Um, me?"

"And who do you think you are?"

"Hazel...?"

"What!? Imposter!" Skipper then turned to Private. "Does she look like Hazel to you?"

"No sir." He answered with conviction.

Rico agreed, shaking his head with conviction.

"But..." Hazel tried to say, but she was cut off.

"There is a spy in our midst, boys!"

Just then, Tommy walked into the room.

Skipper then turned to him and asked, "Tommy, what is going on!? Who is this?" He gestured towards Hazel. "And what has she done to your sister?!"

"Umm... That is my sister."

"Oh no, Skippah, she's gotten to him too!"

"Probably brainwashed him." Said Skipper ruefully. He then turned to Tommy. "You see, kid, that's not your sister."

"Yes, I am!" she said in confusion.

"Nope." Said all three commandos at once.

"Why?" She asked defiantly.

"Because. Hazel doesn't smile that much."

"Oh, that's what this is about. You goof."

"I'm serious!" Replied Skipper. "I haven't seen her smile like that since the days her and Kowalski ran around here like a couple of love birds." Then, a thought seemed to strike him, and he looked at Hazel with a smirk on his face. "Unless..."

Hazel looked around and saw that the other two were giving her similar looks.

"Oh, alright. Yeah, Kowalski finally came and talked to me last night. I guess we're friends again."

"Ya-hoooo!" Shouted Private, full of joy. Skipper threw his coffee into the air for the fun of it, and Private and Rico did the same with their fish. (That was a huge mess, but they don't mind.)

Then, the penguins all started singing and dancing around, celebrating because they could finally return to the happy go lucky lifestyle of the past. Rico did a victory dance on the table, and even Tommy was shaking his tail feathers.

After they had been dancing and shouting for a minute, the door slammed open and Marlene rushed in.

"What happened?!" She asked.

Everyone turned to her and shouted with joy, "They made up!"

And with that, Marlene joined their celebrations. Rico hacked up some confetti, which he threw around the room.

After they had finally calmed down, the word of what had happened spread quickly throughout the zoo. Everyone was so excited that even the humans noticed.

When Kowalski returned to the zoo with the snow cones, he was greeted happily by many of his neighbors. Several animals who had been avoiding him for the past few months finally started talking to him. He had one guess as to what had brought about the change.

When he entered the penguin habitat, where the others were waiting for him outside on the concrete ice floe, Skipper saw him and shouted, "Kowalski! You're back!"

"Yeah. I got the snow cones."

Skipper slapped him upside the head and said, "I'm not talking about the snow cones." He then turned to the others and asked, "Now, who wants snow cones to celebrate Kowalski's return?"

Four flippers were raised in the air, and Kowalski passed out the snow cones to his teammates. He then turned back to Skipper. "I wasn't gone that long, maybe thirty minutes..."

Rico spit some confetti onto Kowalski's face.

"You've been gone for months soldier." answered Skipper, with a glare that said 'case closed.' Then he turned to Hazel."Oh, didn't you say you wanted some time alone?"

"Uh, no...?"

"Well I suppose we can find something to do so you can have your aloneliness. Boys, let's move out. Tommy, you can come too!"

"Where are we going?" Asked Kowalski.

"Oh, not you Kowalski. You have to stay here and be alone. With Hazel." Explained Skipper.

"Um... Why...?"

"I'm choosing to ignore that question."

Tommy then asked Kowalski's question again, "But where are we going?"

"I have no idea, kid, but I'm sure it's important." With that, the four penguins leapt the fence and were gone, leaving Kowalski and Hazel standing there, feeling confused and awkward.

Kowalski turned to Hazel and scratched his neck like he does. "Er... Nice weather we're having?"

"Oh cut to the chase, Kowalski." Said Hazel with a laugh.

"I don't... I don't know what you mean."

Hazel raised an eyebrow at him, but said nothing.

"You just want to make my life difficult."

She continued to give him that same look.

"Okay, okay. Hazel. Um. Er... Um, would you... Uh... Object... To...No longer being known as.. Not... my girlfriend?"

When she didn't say anything immediately, Kowalski got really nervous.

"I... Uh, I mean, I'm only asking because I'm under social pressure to do so, it's nothing, you..." He was going to say more, but Hazel interrupted him in the one way he didn't mind.

When they finally broke apart, they heard a round of applause burst out of the surrounding habitats, coming from all the animals who had apparently been watching the scene from afar. (Awkward?) They smiled and waved, and then Hazel turned to Kowalski with a smile.

"Nice double negative. And to answer your question- yes."

Kowalksi furrowed his eyebrows, thinking. "Wait, yes you would object?"

Hazel rolled her eyes. "UH, okay. No."

"No what?"

"Don't make me shut you up again."

Kowalksi wiggled his eyebrows at her, then asked, "Are you prepared to carry out that threat?"

Hazel thought for a moment, then backed down. "Um, actually no. That was a little... Rash."

Kowalksi sighed. "Fine. But are you my girlfreind now?"

She then put her arm around him, ignoring all the watchful eyes. "Yes."

"Finally!"

With that the two lovebirds went back into the HQ, ready for the next chapter of their life.

**El Fin**

**That means The End for our English speaking friends. What an ending, right? Thank you for reading my story! Your support over the past two months has made me so happy! :D Now, a few things.**

**#1. I know, I know. I wasn't going to put any kissing in this, because, as you know, penguins have beaks, and that just doesn't work, but hey! Look, it worked here.**

**#2. I stole the line "interrupted him in the one way he didn't mind." From Batmanskipper. I just wanted to give her proper credit, because I love that line! :D**

**#3. The sequel will be mostly focused on Kowalski and Hazel, I don't know if you're interested or not. But I have some ideas For action and drama to add also. I've already gotten a lot of positivity on the idea of the sequel, so it's gonna happen. I won't be posting it for a long time, because I don't like to publish a story before I have several chapters already written. But it will happen! **

**So, please tell me what you thought of this story and what you thought of my changes. :) **


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